aass_lA: Book IJlg^AS . \9 19 REPORT THE SURVEY OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM BY THE ISTATE DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATION THJt UinVBKSITT OF TEX STATS OF NSW YORK Regent! of tb« Uairetsltr With jreait when tamu expire (Revised to November i, 1919) 1926 Pliny T. Sexton LL.B. LL.D. Chancellor - - Palmyra 1927 Albert Vander Veer M.D. M.A. Ph.D. LL.D. Vice Chancellor Albany 1922 Chester S. Lord M.A. LL.D. - - - - -Brooklyn 1930 WiLLLAM Nottingham M.A. Ph.D. LL.D. - - S)rracuse 1923 Abram I. Elkus LL.B. LL.D. D.C.L. - - - New York 1924 Adelbert Moot LL.D. -__-___ Buffalo 1925 Charles B. Alexander M.A. LL.B. LL.D. * Litt.D. ------_--_-- Tuxedo \ 1928 Walter Guest Kellogg B.A. LL.D. - - - Ogdensbur 1920 James Byrne B.A. LL.B. LL.D. - - - _ New York 1929 Herbert L. Bridgman M.A. ----- Brooklyn 193 1 Thomas J. Mangan M.A. ------- Binghamt^ President of the TTnivenity and Commissioner of Edacation John H. Finley M.A. LL.D. L.H.D. Deputy Commissioner and Counsel Prank B. Gilbert B.A. Assistant Commissioner and Director of Professional EducatioD Augustus S. Downing M.A. L.H.D. LL.D. PIT' Assistant Commissioner for Secondary Edocatlon Charles F. Wheelock B.S. LL.D. Acting Assistant Commissioner for Elementary Education George M. Wiley M.A. Director of State Library James L Wyer, Jr. M.L.S. Pd.D. Director of Science and State Mnsenm John M. Clarke D.Sc. LL.D. Chiefs and Directors of Divisions Administration, Hiram C. Case Agricultural and Industrial Education, Lewis A. Wilson Archives and History, James Sullivan M.A. Ph.D. Attendance, James D. Sullivan Educational Extension, William R. Watson B.S. Examinations and Inspections, George M. Wiley ^ Law, Frank B. Gilbert B.A., Counsel Library School, James I. Wyer, Jr, M.L.S. Pd.D. School Buildings and Grounds, Frank H. Wood M.A. O School Libraries, Sherman Williams Pd.D. Vi -nal Tnstniclion. Alfred W, Abbams Ph.B V O ^ no >i f L A 3 31 U«A5 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION This report is another practical illustration of the effort on the part of the State to be helpful to the several communities of the State in making the best possible educational provision for their children — each corajmunity in its best way. There has been most gratifying response in communities where such surveys have been made (as for example in Buffalo and Binghamton) through the cooperation of representatives oi the State Department of Education and the officials and teachers of the local systems, and it is hoped that this report will prove of even greater value to Utica in its development of a comprehensive, constructive program. Commissioner of Education [3] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS JUL. 191921 DOCUMENTS DSViSION PREFACE The educational needs of our rapidly developing industrial com- munities can not be met except through a broad, constructive educational policy. The development of a school plant in terms of the growing needs of a city must do far more than merely pro- vide space for the pupils. The buildings and equipment should meet the demands of a modem educational program and the cur- riculum should insure the best possible educational opportimities. The survey of the Utica public school system which has been completed by the Department staff presents a situation which is i. doubt typical of many of our municipalities. The school program has not kept pace with the economic and industrial development of the community. This is true both of the school plant and equip- ment and of the curriculum. Notwithstanding the fact that several modern school buildings have been erected during the past decade, there are apparently several old buildings that should have been abandoned long ago. A study of the detailed report reveals conditions which this pro- gressive community will wish to conect immediately. There is no reason why the children in any section of a prosperous city should be compelled to attend school in old buildings erected fifty and sixty years ago with no modem equipment, in no sense meeting the requirements of a modem school plant. The situation demands thorough study on the part of the local authorities and civic organ- izations to insure the approval of a broad policy of school con- struction over a period of years in order that the needs of every part of the city may be adequately met. Of equal importance is the reorganization and enrichment of the school curriculum, expecially the work to be offered in the seventh, eighth and ninth years, along the lines of the intermediate school. In the development of the building program several schools should be selected as centers for the organization of schools of this type where the boys and girls may begin an acquaintance with some of the fundamental arts of the community. Utica has an unusual opportunity in this respect. Further diversified courses in the high school, technical and industrial as well as general courses, will be of great value in developing a more cosmopolitan type of 15] 6 Peeface secondary school, which will relate the educational program more closely to the community needs. The percentage of those foreign born in the population makes the educational problem of Utica unique. Two-thirds of the inhabitants are foreign born or the children of foreign parents. This is doubtless appreciated, as in some schools the problem is being met in part. In the further development of the school pro- gram much more can be done for the adult as well as for the youth. The organization of the health education activities has only begun. The work in medical inspection which has been well started needs wider interpretation and more generous support. The work in physical training is yet only in its beginnings. The super- vision of recreation has been too long neglected. These related problems are vital in the extension of the educational work. The school authorities and teachers gave full cooperation in the work of the survey and by their assistance made possible a thorough study of the school activities. It is hoped that the great oppor- tunity which the citizens of Utica have at hand to reorganize their school system in terms of the community needs will be appreciated. There appears to be an immediate opportunity for the development of a far-reaching constructive educational program. We trust that the detailed report covering the Utica school system may be help- ful to that community in solving the immediate educational problems of the city and that the general treatment of the different topics may be of some service to school officials and to the general public in meeting similar conditions in their respective commimities. Geo. M, Wiley REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM PAGE 1 Introduction 1 : 9 2 The City of Utica 17 3 Organization and Administration 21 4 The School Plant : 42 5 Supervision 72 6 The Teaching Staff 90 7 Course of Study and Instruction in the Elementary Schools. loi 8 The High School 121 9 Achievements in Fundamental Subjects Measured by Standard Tests 151 10 Comparative School Costs 179 1 1 Health Education 205 [7] INTRODUCTION The purpose of this introduction is twofold: to present briefly the point of view from which the survey was made, and also to summarize within a few paragraphs the outstanding features of the school organization. The introduction is in a sense, therefore, a condensed presentation of the general situation as observed. The following chapters treat in detail the findings of the staff covering the organization and activities of the school system. The survey of the Utica school system was requested by the Utica Chamber of Commerce and approved by the school authori- ties. The resolution of the Chamber of Commerce transmitted to the State Department of Education under date of June 14, 191 7 was as follows : Resolved, That the committee on education of the Utica Chamber of Commerce is pursuaded that if the New York Department of Education can see its way clear to an investigation and survey of educational condi- tions in Utica, such investigation and survey would result in increased information, confidence and advancement. In suggesting this the committee desires to be understood as having absolutely no prejudice on the subject and as being moved solely by a desire of securing for our public school system the complete confidence of our citizens. Although the board of education passed no formal resolution, it concurred in the request that the survey be made and directed the superintendent to give every assistance with the intent that a com- plete and constructive study of the schools might be made. Preliminary plans for the survey were made late in 191 7. Early in 1918 the schools and classrooms were visited by the Department specialists, the instruction observed, the achievement of the pupils measured, the buildings inspected, the school organization analyzed, and the entire school program evaluated in terms of the com- munity needs. The field work was completed during the school year ending July 1918, The organization of the material and the inter- pretation of the statistical information have been completed and are presented in the several chapters which constitute the report. During the progress of the work of the survey every courtesy was extended by the board of education, the superintendent of schools, principals, teachers and all others connected with the school organ- [9] 10 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ization. Without the assistance and cooperation which were given it would have been impossible to carry forward the work promptly and effectively. It should be noted that the present superintendent of schools had just been appointed to this position from a neighboring city when the survey was begun. During the time the survey was being made, the superintendent was quite naturally studying the school system, the supervision of which had but recently been intrusted to him. The superintendent desired that the general program to be worked out by him for the development and extension of the school plant and activities might incorporate any constructive changes which the survey would recommend. As a part of this study he prepared the age-grade table which appears as an appendix of this report. The following paragraphs summarize in brief the features of the Utica school system as brought out in detail in the various chapters of the report. Utica is an important commercial, industrial and railroad center in central New York. The population in 191 5 was 80,589. The surrounding territory is one of the most prosperous agricultural regions of the State. A study of the population of Utica shows an unusually small percentage of native white inhabitants of native white parents. Two persons in every three in the city of Utica are either foreign-bom or native-born of foreign parentage. One- third of the foreign population is Italian. Thus, approximately^ one person in every ten in the city of Utica is a foreign-born Italian. On account of the character of the population, the educational problem is one of unusual interest. The management of the school system in the city of Utica is under the control of a board of education consisting of six members, two elected annually by popular vote, for a term of three years. The schools have not been handicapped in educational matters by frequent changes in the personnel of the board of education. The service has been reasonably continuous. The board is not embar- rassed in any degree through lack of control in financial matters. The board has absolute control of the budget estimates and the expenditures. Notwithstanding these favorable conditions which give every opportunity for the development of a broad, constructive educational policy, the board of education has given, far too much attention to the petty details of its business affairs. The purchasing of small supplies and the routine supervision of the school plant should be delegated to the proper administrative officers. The meet- ings of the board are congested with matters of administrative detail, REPORT- OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM . 11 many of which should be handled directly by the proper executive representatives of the board. The board is overorganized into com- mittees which are expected to attend to matters belonging without question to the experts employed by the board. The superintendent of schools should be the chief executive of the board in both admin- istrative and educational matters. The board of education gives of its time generously to the schools but it is so hampered in its pro- cedure by rule and precedent that the large and vital questions which concern the schools and their progress are given too little consideration. A detailed study of the school plant was made on the basis of the Strayer score card for school buildings.^ Considering the elemen- tary school buildings as a unit, they are rated 679 points out of a pos- sible maximum score of 1000 points. The buildings range individually from the complete modern plant known as the Kernan School to some of the old buildings which should long ago have been discarded for school purposes. The buildings are of various types, the older buildings being the study hall type of elementary school, popular half a century ago. On the scale of 1000 points for an ideal school plant, the individual building scores range from 463 to 879 points. The lack of any definite policy in the school organization has resulted in unusual conditions found in the various types of buildings which provide for practically all grades of instruc- tion. In one building the work is carried through the third grade, in another, through the fourth, in another, through the fifth, etc., the different buildings providing for different grades of instruction with the necessarily wide variation in equipment and provision for the needed school activities. One of the old buildings without equip- ment or special facilities of any kind is a grammar school which registers seventh and eighth grades only. The whole situation regarding the school plant demands careful analysis and thorough study in order that a broad, constructive program may be made the basis of future action. School construction should not only meet the needs of growth and population but also provide for the larger educational needs of the school and of the community. Under the direction of the superintendent of schools there are five special supervisors in addition to the school principals. They are supervisors for music, drawing, sewing, physical training and kindergarten-primary work. Notwithstanding the fact that the special supervisors are doing good work in their respective fields, ^ Score card for City School Buildings, by George D. Strayer, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. 12 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK there seems to be no broad, constructive, unified program of super- vision covering both elementary and secondary work in which the efforts of supervisors and principals are coordinated and articulated throughout the school system. Several of the principals are strong supervisors and administrative officers. Unfortunately many of them have a large amount of routine clerical work for which there is no adequate help. The principals who for one reason or another are not strong in their work should have the advantage of the suggestions of those who have met the problem more successfully. The organization of a council consisting of supervisors, princi- pals and heads of departments meeting at regular intervals for general discussion of school problems, would be most helpful. The schools have given very little attention to the manual and industrial arts and to home science. The effort in this direction seems to be weak and without definite aim. There was no super- vision of this work at the time of the survey. The importance of manual and industrial and homemaking courses in the higher ele- mentary grades and in the first year of the high school should be emphasized and these activities should be articulated with the gen- eral school work. The schools reflect only feebly the large part which the industries play in the daily life of the city. There is no supervision of recreation or recess periods or playground activities. The playgrounds are not equipped with apparatus and only occa- sionally was a teacher observed on the playground with the children. Physical training in the high school is greatly handicapped through the lack of any gymnasium. The work is in charge of a supervisor who is responsible for the physical training in all the city schools. The task is too great for one person. Before satisfactory results can be expected, equipment and apparatus- for playgrounds and a gymnasium for the high school must be provided as well as some assistance for the organization and supervision of the work. The medical inspection and the work of the school nurse might well be correlated with the physical training, as the aims and purposes are the same. The number of teachers in the Utica schools in both elementary and secondary grades based on the number of pupils in average daily attendance is normal. There is, however, an unusually large number of substitute teachers. These are local girls, generally with- out any teaching experience. The annual increase to the teaching staff has been largely recruited in this way. This local inbreeding presents a serious feature of the situation regarding the teaching staff. Over 70 per cent of the teaching experience of the ele- mentary teachers was gained in the local schools. A reasonable REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 3 quota of the teachers may well be local products. The present policy is contrary, however, to established principles of sound educational administration. In education and in professional training, the teaching staff maintains a reasonably high standard. Many teachers have done graduate work in college or summer school. Seventy-two per cent of the elementary teachers are normal school graduates ; and of the high school teachers 63 per cent are college graduates. The median salary in the grades is $850 and in the high school $1150. The salary schedule which provides a maximum salary of $1000 in the elementary grades and of $1200 for classroom teachers in the high school might well take into consideration the growth, service and efforts toward increased efficiency. Many teachers are underpaid. The professional training required and the responsibilities of the work must soon compel a radical reorganization of the schedule of teachers' salaries in all communities. It would seem that the pro- bationary period in Utica is too short for the best interests of the schools. This might better be three years than one year. The course of study in the Utica elementary schools is richer and more flexible than the printed course would indicate. It would appear, however, that in order to meet adequately the needs of such an industrial city, the course of study needs to be enriched and made somewhat more flexible in order to reflect more closely the needs of the local community life. The course of study should be modern- ized in every subject in terms of the changing world and should be quickened by thoughtful application of the varied resources of Utica's own geographic, historic, economic and social situation. Particularly in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades it should be formulated with a view to helping boys and girls to find themselves. There is an unusual opportunity to develop a progressive inter- mediate school program. It is thought that probably a committee of principals in conference with the superintendent and with the aid of a few of the more efficient teachers could study the facts presented and, by comparison with the programs of other leading cities, evolve a course of study sensitive in its details to present changes, and adapted to the needs and conditions in the various sections of the city. More than this, it is thought that in order to secure the largest results there is need for more specialized super- vision in the major subjects than now obtains. There might well be developed a group of supervisors who could be of great assistance to the entire elementary staff. With the fortunate balance of ex- perience and youth, the sound nucleus of normal school training 14 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK and the generally commendable and admirable professional spirit of the entire teaching staff, a wise and helpful system of super- vision in the more important subjects would go far toward enabling the school system to meet its great responsibilities to the boys and girls of the city. Standard scales and tests were used in evaluating the work in the elementary grades in arithmetic, spelling, handwriting, composition and silent reading. Tests in composition and silent reading were also given in the high school. The results revealed wide differences in the abilities of pupils in the same grades. This variation in attainment is unusually marked in the seventh and eighth grades. The results indicate the need of a more definite program of super- vision throughout the school system. The age and progress records prepared by the superintendent of schools indicate an unusually large percentage of pupils making slow progress. The records show that 34 per cent of the pupils are making normal progress, 6 per cent are making rapid progress, and 60 per cent slow progress. The comprehensive or cosmopolitan high school is the typical American secondary school. A thriving industrial community should find its needs reflected in the high school program. The program of work in the Utica Free Academy has been developed along the line of the college preparatory course with the addition more recently of a well-organized commercial course. The large group of pupils, however, who should have a broad, general course or who will be directly or indirectly concerned with industrial or technical activities find too little in the school program related to their needs. The Utica high school offers no industrial or voca- tional courses. There is need of a more definite plan of high school organization. The atmosphere of the school indicates a lack of positive and definite control. There is no thought here to minimize the excellent work which the Utica Free Academy has done for the past half century in training the youth of the city for the professions and in pointing the way toward the college of liberal arts. The school has been a power in the community and has been directed by men of unusual culture and lasting influence. It is suggested that the great economic changes in our community life and the small percentage of the greatly increased high school enrolment who are preparing for college work furnish sufficient reasons for making somewhat more diversified our high school courses. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 5 There is immediate need of reorganizing the whole program of work for the seventh, eighth and ninth (first year high school) years, in terms of community and individual needs. The high school should reflect much more closely the community interests, and should articulate more closely with the work of the elementary grades. Several typical differentiated courses of study should be outlined and made available for high school pupils and their parents in considering the work best adapted to their individual purposes. Health education, notv/ith standing its vital importance, has no adequate recognition in the high school program. The work is seriously embarrassed through the lack of a gymnasium and swimming pool. Many cities smaller than Utica and of less area provide an auto- mobile for the official use of the superintendent of schools and the executive office in connection with the visitation of schools. The street car lines in Utica radiate from the commercial center of the city and to go from school to school by this method con- sumes much time. It is believed that the purchase of an auto- mobile for such official use would be a matter of economy and greatly increased service in bringing the administrative office into more immediate touch with the outlying schools. The chapter on school costs shows that Utica holds a median rank among the cities of New York in respect to the percentage of general city departmental expenses used for school maintenance. The cities of New York, however, show a low percentage in this respect, in comparison with cities of the same class in other states. It would appear that Utica does not use a reasonable percentage of city maintenance funds for her educational needs. The total cost of maintaining the schools of Utica for the school year 1917-18 was $50.96 for each pupil in average daily attendance, which was con- siderably below the average of the cities in New York between 30,000 and 160,000 population. On the basis of cost of instruction, Utica holds a median position among these cities. Even a median position in support of public education is by no means a satisfactory standard. In cities of the size of Utica in other states, from one- third to one-half of the payment for general city departmental pur- poses was for school maintenance, while in the cities in the New York group, the average is approximately one-third. The increase in school maintenance costs in the cities of New York from 1916 to 1918 has been exceedingly small as compared with the increase in maintenance cost in other activities. 1 6 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK The average parent is not satisfied with mediocre school con- ditions. Excellent schools can not be maintained without a reason- able expenditure. Utica's median rank in this respect does not indicate a progressive and constructive school policy. A broad edu- cational program would insure needed modern school accommoda- tions for all the children of the city and enrich the school curriculum so as to meet the diversified demands of the community. This could be carried forward without any undue financial burden. The public should insist that there be a constructive educational program and that a reasonable share of the public funds be used in its support. The present congestion in the higher grades presents unusual oppor- tunities for the development of intermediate or junior high schools as centers in different sections of the city where the needs of these boys and girls will be met and the work of the schools adapted more closely to the community interests. MAP c/TY UTICA PUBLIC SCHOOLS O /findergarien arjd kss iha/? 8 grade s © Kindergarten aud 8 gra^s 4) MonuaC Tra/'nrrK} ana Domestic. • 7tf> ancfS^J! grt^^d. school. X i5iS:^/y//yv/y//zyyzzA MATIVf WHITE OF NATIVE WHITE P/(ll£MTACE. rWTlVE WHITE, „,^ fORtlCM OR MIXED ^^ rarent/ge. Chart 2 fORtiai BORN WHITE E3 MEGRO Showing the percentage of native white population of native parentage in Utica, Binghamton, Schenectady, New York State and the United States REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 19 In Utica the percentage of native white inhabitants of native parentage is 34.8; in New York State, 35.4; in the United States, 53.8 ; in Schenectady, 43.3 ; and in Binghamton, 62.9. There is, how- ever, in Utica a relatively larger percentage of native white inhabit- ants of foreign or mixed parentage. In Utica the percentage of native white inhabitants of foreign or mixed parentage is 36.1 ; in New York State, 33; in Schenectady, 30.7; in Binghamton, 20.5; and in the United States, 20.5. This is represented graphically in chart 2. The chart also shows that the percentage of foreign-born whites in Utica is nearly double the percentage in the United States, but approximately the same as the percentage in New York State. Of every thousand inhabitants in the city of Utica, 709 are native white of native or foreign parentage. In Schenectady, 740 of every thousand are native white of native or foreign parentage; in the United States, 743 ; in Binghamton, 834. BINGHAMTON UNITED 5TATE5 SCHENECTADY UTICA NEW YORK- 834 74-3 74 70s 68A 100 ZOO 300 AGO 500 60O TOO 800 900 Chaut 3 Showing number of native white inhabitants per thousand of either native, foreign or mixed parentage While these figures may be modified somewhat by more recent data, the resulting comparisons would doubtless be similar to those given. There is reason to believe that the increased percentage of inhabitants of foreign birth or parentage has proportionally reduced the percentage of native white inhabitants of native parentage in all groups. The fact that this part of the population is relatively the smallest in the city of Utica is clearly a unique feature. The relation of this fact to the local educational problem is at once evident. The city of Utica therefore presents a most interesting study in the relations which should obtain between its industrial and com- mercial activities and its pubHc school system, influenced as both of these interests are by an unusually large percentage of the popu- lation of foreign birth. Its location is unsurpassed and lends itself to growth in every direction. Its unusual shipping facilities, includ- ing several radiating railroad lines and the recently improved barge canal, insure steady growth and development. The character of the 20 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK population of the city and the probable steady growth of population in the future make vitally necessary a thorough study of present adjustments of the school system and a future policy of development. The accompanying map shows the location of the public schools in the city of Utica with reference to the city boundaries and the principal streets. ■'ma J, rrt o G o be o u U} O fit o o p CJ J^ ,c o S— » ^ o ■■' Chart 5 Showing tenure of office of members of the board of education, 1911-18 A detailed study has been made of the recorded minutes of the board of education covering the past two years. The minutes do not appear in printed form but are written by hand. It is stated that the question of printing the proceedings has been considered by the board but that satisfaction was expressed over the general excellence of the written form. The board should, however, con- sider the advantage of the printed proceedings at least as a matter of convenience for reference. The written record is brief for the reason that it has been the policy to file communications to the board and merely to mention these in the official proceedings. This is often sufficient where matters are of a routine character. The more important matters under consideration and special reports to the board might well appear in full or in the form of a summary. The importance of this would be evident at once if the proceedings were issued in printed form. An examination of the proceedings shows that little if any consideration has been given by the board to the large educational problems of the city. 26 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK During the years 1916 and 1917 meetings of the board of edu- cation were held as follows : 1916 January 6 Special meeting February 8 Regular March 14 Regular March 28 Special April s Special April II Regular April 25 Special May 9 Regular May 22 Special June 13 Regular June 20 Special July 18 Regular September 12 Regular October 10 Regular October 25 Adjourned November 14 Regular December 12 Regular December 15 Regular 1917 January 9 Regular meeting February i Special " February 13 Regular " March 13 Regular April 10 Regular " April 18 Special May 8 Regular May ID Adjourned " May 29 Special " June 12 Regular " July 10 Regular " August 14 Regular " August 16 Adjourned " September 11 Regular " October 9 Regular " October 29 Adjourned " November 13 Regular " December 29 Regular " From the above record it appears that there were eighteen meet- ings held during the year 1916 and eighteen meetings during 191 7. The regular meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. The number of meetings is therefore not unusual. It is to be expected that special matters will command consideration of the board occasionally at times other than the day fixed for the regular REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 27 meeting. The frequency of board meetings in some cities is sur- prisingly large compared with this conservative record in Utica. The methods of administration which are outlined under the printed rules and regulations of the board require the individual members of the board to give personal attention to administrative matters and to authorize the issuing of orders for supplies or re- pairs. Such a situation is quite intolerable and can not operate for the best interests of the schools. There are administrative officers appointed by the board who should be given definite authority under proper restrictions to attend to such matters. The committees of the board are burdened with this administra- tive detail. The extent to which the individual members are made responsible for petty matters of daily occurrence in the activities of the schools is illustrated by the existence of six subcommittees of the committee on buildings and grounds. The duties of this com- mittee are given as follows in the rules of the board: The committee on buildings and grounds shall have charge of all school buildings and grounds, and it shall be their duty to report to the board all proposed additions, alterations, or repairs of school premises, buildings, or fixtures necessar>^ to be made; to take charge of the erection of new buildings after plans for same have been approved by the board, and of all alterations and repairs of school houses and premises authorized by the board; to authorize and direct any and all incidental alterations and repairs, but no such alteration or repair shall exceed an expenditure of $50, as hereinafter provided; to recommend to the board for appointment suitable persons as janitors of the school buildings. This committee shall be divided into six subcommittees. The buildings under the management of the board shall be divided into six groups, and one of these groups assigned to each subcommittee. Within its province thus assigned each subcommittee shall have sole control, and perform the duties above assigned to the committee on buildings and grounds, subject to the approval of the board, when such approval is required. Under this regulation of the board the buildings of the city, are divided into six groups, with an average of four buildings in each group, and the member of the board who constitutes the sub- committee in charge of the group is individually responsible for any and all incidental alterations and repairs and in this respect is the immediate superior officer to the superintendent of buildings. Representative business and professional men can not afford to give their time to the consideration of such matters of detail. Similar conditions obtain in the workings of other committees. It is the function of the committee on supplies to purchase and have charge of all supplies. All orders for supplies must emanate from this 28 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK committee. No administrative officer in the employ of the board has been given any responsibiHty to initiate any order for suppUes of any kind. The committee itself is limited to an expenditure of $50, except by authorization of the board. Study of the minutes of the board shows very clearly that the effect of this organization is to congest the board meetings with matters of petty administrative routine, that should in many cases be decided by the proper execu- tive school officials. Requests for the use of a room or a building recur repeatedly. Under the general direction of the board matters of this character may be determined generally by the administrative officers who are responsible to the board. If the authority is delegated under proper restrictions there is seldom a question or request of this character that should come before the board. More immediate attention can be given by the proper executive officials. Matters that are clearly educational in character should be determined by the super- intendent of schools. Others should be settled by the executive assistants in charge of school properties. Only unusual cases need to be brought before the board. Routine matters relating to petty purchases consume a very con- siderable portion of the time of the board. The following items are taken from the proceedings: Board decides to purchase 36 Christmas trees at 75 cents each. Board decides to purchase 60 copies of Art Songs and 40 copies of Assembly Songs. Motion made to procure bids for lamps for the schools for ensuing year. Board purchases two dozen flag holders. Orders the purchase of 500 song books at 10 cents each. Certainly it can not be that efficient and -prompt action in these matters is dependent upon the formal deliberation of the board. What supervision can the individual members of the board give to the purchasing of song books, flag holders, floor brushes, paste, paper etc? What board of directors of a large corporation would cor^sider for a moment the possibility of overseeing and directing in detail the purchasing of petty supplies? The board of education in Utica is, however, its own purchasing agent. Through fixed policy, crystallized by rule and regulation, these prerogatives are reserved by the board, except that their own committee on supplies may exercise discretion in making necessary purchases up to $50. The interpretation of this rule is, however, conservative, as oftentimes the board formally orders supplies, the cost of which amounts to much less than the limit fixed. The board of education should make REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 29 a radical change at once governing its procedure in the purchasing of supplies. The necessary supplies for the school 3^ear should be covered in complete lists, prepared under the direction of the superintendent of schools, well in advance of the school year for which they are needed. The preparation of these lists and the advertising for bids might well be required by regulation of the board. On the receipt of the bids for this material, the proposals should be presented to the board for whatever action they may deem proper. This would simplify the procedure, put it on a sound business basis, and enable the board to dispose of the whole matter in a minimum of time. The administrative detail and responsibihty in this respect should be delegated, under proper re- striction, to its administrative and executive officers. Questions relating to needed alterations and repair also seem to claim an unnecessary amount of time. The following illustration is taken from the official proceedings. It is brought to the attention of the board that there should be a steel ceiling in a certain kinder- garten room. The board authorizes the procuring of bids. At a later meeting bids are received and the contract awarded. As the work goes forward, probably near completion, someone observes that it would be well to have the new ceiling painted. This is ordered done and at a subsequent meeting the board formally approves the awarding of this contract for painting the ceiHng of the kindergarten room at an expense of $23. Again and again matters relating to such minor or incidental repairs are brought before the board and authorization is given to procure bids ; then, at a later meeting, when the bids are received, they are given consideration. The superintendent of buildings, if well qualified, should be given responsibility commensurate with his title and with the needs of the position. The unusual provision whereby each member of the com- mittee on buildings and grounds is a member of a subcommittee m charge of a group of buildings is unsound in principle, unwise in practice and untenable from the standpoint of sound educational procedure. The members of the board of education should be giving their time, thought and study to the larger question of the logical building program for the city as a whole to meet its future needs, and related questions which should properly concern the board as a whole, rather than to the performance of detail duties which should be cared for by the superintendent of buildings. 30 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK This general condition is also shown by other entries in the min- utes of the board meetings. A janitor appears before the board to present the matter of the need of additional help in the care of the enlarged high school building, and later appears again to report on the question of the cost of the needed additional help. 'Possibly the importance of properly organizing the janitorial staff of the large new high school building and the amount of expenditure involved are sufficient reasons for the appearance of the janitor before the board. Nevertheless at two different meetings the time of the board is taken up with a question of administrative procedure which it seems should have come before them but once and then only for approval or modification, in the form of a plan carefully outlined by the superintendent of buildings and approved by the superintendent of schools. At another meeting the board of education grants the superintendent of buildings permission to move four pianos. The entry " The monthly report of the superintendent of buildings was received" usually . records the fact that this official complied with the regulation that he must submit a monthly report. These reports do not enter into the larger problems of the school plant. There is no apparent realization of the fact that these reports should be the means by which the board as a whole is kept aware of the con- dition of the whole physical school plant for which as a board, and not as individuals, they are responsible to the people of the city. This larger point of view has been lost not because of the lack of conscientious service and devotion on the part of the individual members, representing as they do men of the highest type in the community, but because of antiquated methods of administrative procedure and consequent failure to place definite administrative responsibility on subordinate officials. The board of education apparently grants leaves of absence. The granting of a leave of absence, for short periods at least, might be delegated to the superintendent of schools. It should be regarded as quite sufficient if he report to the board his action in such matters. A high school instructor, in one instance, appeared before the board of education with his problems. This was during the summer recess and possibly would not usually occur. The instructor is responsible to his immediate superior, the principal. The principal is responsible to his immediate superior, the superintendent of schools. Recommendations as to textbooks and courses of study should be made to the board of education only through the super- intendent of schools. He is the educational expert employed for this purpose. The conditions indicated by such procedure would REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 31 result in chaos in the educational supervision, and are to be con- demned in the strongest terms. The following comment is read in the minutes of meeting after meeting : The report of the superintendent of schools was received. The reports are filed and are available for reference. There might well be a summary and an outline of the trend of the discussions. These reports should be made the starting point of the delibera- tions of the board with regard to the conditions in the schools and their larger educational needs, and should be at least a guide to the board in considering general poUcies governing the schools. One reference is made in the minutes reviewed to a matter of educational policy and should be mentioned. The clerk was author- ized to communicate with local manufacturing and commercial houses with a view to securing suggestions as to lines of work and equipment for the new high school. As a resuh a committee of four men, representing the Chamber of Commerce education com- mittee, was present at a later meeting and suggested that a public meeting of all interested be held for the purpose of discussing the equipment of the high school. This of course would involve a dis- cussion of the character of the work to be offered. The chairman was authorized to appoint a committee of the board to cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce in arranging such a meeting. There is no record in the minutes of any further action or of any educa- tional policy which resulted. The only later reference is that a communication from the high school principal was read in which was presented a detailed layout for the high school, which, it was stated, would cost approximately $200,000. On motion the com- munication was " received and filed." A great opportunity for con- structive cooperation between public, commercial and civic organi- zations and the local educational authorities seems to have been lost. The recorded minutes of the meetings of the board of education during these two years give every evidence that no serious con- sideration has been given to the large educational problems affecting the welfare of the city. Occasionally a radical change of poHcy is noted by a brief motion. "The superintendent was heard on the matter of the discontinuance of the vocational school." " Moved the vocational school be discontinued at the end of the present school year." There does not appear to have been any investigation of the desirability of such a change or any study of the educational needs of the city as a basis for this action. 32 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK As indicated in the preceding paragraphs, routine matters of petty detail have quite generally congested the meetings of the board until the larger problems of the schools have been quite neglected. The details of administrative routine, which might well be delegated to subordinate officials, have been carried by the board of education; constructive plans by which to meet the educational needs of a thriving industrial city with a large foreign population, a responsibility which the board of education can not delegate, have not been worked out, and in fact have been given little thought. Only through careful and judicial consideration of such problems can a board of education render effective public service. Executive Supervision Although the rules of the board of education do not give the superintendent of schools in Utica any responsibility in the business affairs of the schools, the present tendency is apparently to recog- nize him as executive head of the organization. In the more pro- gressive school systems of the country the superintendent of schools is the general executive representative of the board of education. He is the highly trained expert who is responsible to the board of education and who is properly held accountable by them for the administration and supervision of the schools. Although his atten- tion should be given largely to educational supervision, other depart- ments of administration should be under his direction and control. He should be the head of the school organization, and although not directly responsible for its business routine should have a super- visory authority. This is essential to insure responsibility and to prevent dual control. Supervision of Business Affairs The functions of the clerk of the board of education, as already referred to above, are " to keep the books of the board, to keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of the board " and to perform such other duties as the board may require. These duties, which are largely clerical and which have been outlined on page 22 are more than can be done by one person. He should be given definite executive responsibility and the necessary clerical and stenographic assistance. The rules provide that the board may appoint a person to act as secretary to the superintendent " whose duties shall be such clerical duties as shall be imposed upon him by the superintendent or board." For a time the clerk carried this title but now he does not REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 33 function in any sense as a secretary to the superintendent. The position of clerk of the board of education does not carry with it proper executive responsibiUty. As defined in the rules, the func- tions are mostly clerical. No responsibility in financial matters has been given to him, even to expenditures in small amounts. The board of education is its own business manager. These powers are exercised only by the board and within very narrow limits by the committees of the board. The clerk of the board is the sole employee in the business office. This in itself indicates the lack of a definite administrative organization for the handling of the business affairs of the board of education in a city of over 80,000 people. In fact the initiative in business matters rests in theory and in actual practice with the board, or with one of the committees. It is not necessary to repeat here the illustrations of this method of procedure outlined above. The annual school budget of the city of Utica approximates a half million dollars. No board of directors of a corporation doing this amount of business would think it possible to handle their ■financial affairs without the services of a trained fiscal expert in charge of the routine business affairs. In ordinary matters within certain definite limits such an official should be given full responsi- bility and should be held strictly accountable for the manner in which these duties are performed. There is even more reason why a board of education should delegate to responsible subordinate officials the management of its routine business affairs, since its greatest function is the determination of educational policies and larger matters of school finance. Under the general supervision of the superintendent of schools, who should be the executive head of the school system, there should be an executive clerk (school clerk, fiscal manager, business man- ager) to whom is delegated, within reasonable limits, full responsi- bility in business and financial matters. He should have the neces- sary clerical help to handle the affairs of the office in an efficient manner and records and files of every transaction should be avail- able. The executive clerk in charge of this office should be reason- ably expert in office management and in the organization of office systems. The organization of a record system covering supplies and their distribution, including the supervision of the stock room and simple card records for permanent inventory of supplies on hand in the various schools as well as at the central supply room, should be one of the functions of the business office. Purchases should be based 34 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK not SO much on requisitions as on needs. The supervision of the stock room and the method of distributing and checking suppUes to the schools become an important factor in the everyday needs of the schools as well as in their economic management. The present clerk has been in the employ of the board for many years. Without doubt his long experience and acquaintance with the detail in the office, together with his close association with the business side of educational matters in the city for so many years, has given him a fund of information most valuable to the board. The need in connection with the business affairs of the board is thorough reorganization, both in policy and procedure. The office of the business manager or executive clerk should be a clearing house for all business and financial matters. As to policy, the members of the board individually and collectively should give no attention to petty routine matters. Administrative executive officers should be given the responsibility and then be held accountable. As to pro- cedure, there should be sufficient clerical assistance in the business office so that the managerial duties could be given the necessary attention by the executive in charge, and that all necessary card or other records as to the business of the schools could be immediately available. Audit of Books A thorough and complete audit of the financial books of the board of education was made for the calendar year 1918. The books are carefully kept, the vouchers are well arranged and readily accessible. The work done by the clerk of the board in keeping the records in such excellent form is too great for one person. The auditor states that " In this office there should be in addition a clerk and stenographer who could be kept busy all the working hours." In examining the books, the auditor found some entries for sales. In tracing the method of selling the old material, including 'furniture and equipment no longer desired, it was found that this is wholly in the hands of the superintendent of buildings. Without any specific authorization from the board of education, the superin- tendent of buildings is permitted to sell whatever in his judgment should be discarded. Without making any record of the actual items of material that are sold, he transmits the money to the clerk of the board of education who usually makes an entry on his books such as " Sales of materials $ " There was no record to show that these sales are checked in any way. The superintendent of buildings was questioned concerning the procedure, but was not helpful in giving full and complete REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 35 information. Two features are especially to be noted: that there are no records of any kind to check these transactions in any way, and that the official representative of the board who personally dis- poses of this material seemed unable to give much assistance in analyzing these items on the books. How much of the responsibility in this matter may be due to group committee arrangement for the supervision of buildings can not be stated. It is believed, however, that the abolishing of the group committees is quite essential in connection with the reorgani- zation which should be made. The auditor recommends that hereafter the superintendent of buildings be permitted to make no sale except upon specific authori- zation. Within certain limits, under definite regulations, this may well be under the direction of the superintendent of schools, beyond which it should be only on resolution of the board of education. In every case, the authorization, whether by the superintendent or by the board, should recite the materials to be disposed of. Further- more, • after the materials have been sold, a complete list of the items at the unit prices should be given to the clerk and the entry made on the permanent records showing the complete transaction. Supervision of Buildings It is unnecessary to repeat here the functions of the superintendent of buildings and to outline again in detail the organization of the committee of the board of education with its subcommittees, each in charge of a group of buildings in connection with which they must " authorize and direct any and all incidental alterations or repairs " but may not expend more than $50. It is also their duty to recommend suitable persons as janitors. The analysis of the proceedings of the board of education over a period of two years has shown that these meetings are congested with the consideration of minor matters relating to the buildings and their repair and with formal action regarding them. One of the most surprising facts is that the leading professional and busi- ness men who constitute the board of education have the patiencq to give personal attention to these matters of minor repair in one of the largest and most important activities of the whole com- munity. They are called upon in formal session to deliberate regard- ing small repairs and petty details to which they would seldom think of giving any attention in their own business. There should be no subcommittees in charge of a group of build- ings. The type of man needed on our boards of education can not 36 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK be expected to give personal supervision to the condition of three or four school buildings. Even if he had the time, the plan is illogical. The subcommittees are not needed. Such an arrange- ment is contrary to every principle of sound administration. It is not only useless but faulty, in that it opens the opportunity to indi- viduals in the local centers to approach the board member regarding school matters which should be handled only through proper admin- istrative channels. The superintendent of buildings should be given authority, under the general direction of the superintendent of schools, who is the chief executive of the board, to act on his own responsibilities in all routine matters. He should be responsible for the general con- ditions of the buildings and grounds and should be free to give necessary attention to repairs without the limiting restrictions of a subcommittee of the board of education. If he is unable to carry this responsibility, then it is the function of the board to find a man qualified for the task. It is not only poor administration but unnecessary for the superintendent of buildings to deal directly with the six members of the board of education. He should be responsible directly to the superintendent of schools. Chart 6 presents graphically the present illogical arrangement by which each member of the board is responsible for a group of build- ings and from whom the superintendent of buildings receives authority and direction. BOARD OF EDUCATION e MEMBER.S COMMITTEE 0(1 BUILOIMOS &. GI^OUMDS 6 MEMBERS SUB-COMMITTEE CROOP I I MEMBER-- juB-coMM/rrec CRPUf^Vl I MEMBER, SUPERJNTEMOeMT BU\l.D\HCS Chart 6 Showing division of responsibility for school buildings REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 37 Probably few cities could be found where such a faulty adminis- tration for the supervision of buildings and grounds obtains. The subcommittees should be entirely eliminated. It would be held by many that the committee on buildings and grounds itself is also unnecessary. We would concur in this were it not for the fact that the problems related to this question are among the most vital to be met within the next few years. For that reason such a committee, working with the superintendent of schools, might well make an exhaustive study of the growth of the city in its relation to the school population and to needed school accommodations. The function of this committee would be radically changed. It would relate to the larger problems of the school plant. The responsibility for incidental alterations and repair would be delegated to adminis- trative officials. In order to meet these responsibilities the superintendent of build- ings should be more than a trained mechanic. He should be familiar with the modern ideas in school building architecture and construction. He should know the latest thought with regard to lighting, heating and ventilation. The care of a large modern school plant demands practical experience in mechanical, electrical and steam engineering. These qualifications are essential, as he is held responsible not only for the condition of buildings but also for the supervision of a large force of janitors and engineers, who, unfor- tunately in many instances, have had no special training for their work. All school janitors should be trained for their work. Until the importance of this fact receives the support of public opinion the board of education must in part meet this situation through a highly trained and efficient superintendent of buildings. The superintendent of buildings has been permitted to sell or dispose of old material from the schools. The results of this policy have been covered in the earlier part of the chapter. It is rather difficult to understand how a board of education would permit such a loose method to be followed from year to year with apparently no check of any kind on these transactions. It is no function of the superintendent of buildings to handle financial matters of any kind unless on the specific direction of the superintendent of schools or the board of education. The possibility of such loose procedure as was found should be absolutely prevented by the revised regula- tions of the board. 38 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Educational Supervision This general topic is being considered here very briefly and chiefly from the administrative point of view. The subject is treated at length in a later chapter. The discussion here is to com- plete the consideration of the administrative office. As has been seen, the board has taken an active interest in minor matters of educational administration. The proceedings of the board of education show that previous to 1917 teachers were fre- quently appointed by the direct vote of the board. It is probable, however, that practically all such appointments for several years have been on the recommendation of the superintendent to the. teachers committee. The formal action in the meeting has been the result of earlier conference with the superintendent. The printed rules of the board provide that " it shall be the duty of the com- mittee on teachers and salaries to report upon changes of salaries of teachers" and also that this committee, with the superintendent, shall " examine into the qualifications of persons proposed as teachers " and shall " make nominations for all appointments." It appears, therefore, that the board had in large measure discon- tinued this policy even before the uniform cities law of 1917 placed definitely in the hands of the superintendent of schools the power to recommend all appointments to the teaching staff. Members of boards of education are seldom qualified to determine the qualifica- tions of teachers and would not claim to have this ability. For this very reason a highly trained expert is employed and paid a good salary. A recommendation for the appointment of a teacher in the 'ichools of the city should come to the board from the superintendent. If he is to be held responsible for the success and progress of the schools, the selection of teachers and their assignment in the school system should be made by him. The recommendation of the super- intendent should be the controlling factor determining the action of the board. In other matters also the rules have given members of the board responsibilities which they are not in a position to meet and for which they employ a trained expert. Rule 10, relating to textbooks and courses of study, requires that " all propositions for the intro- duction of textbooks in the public schools should be referred to the committee on textbooks and courses of study " ; also that this com- mittee " shall examine thoroughly all such textbooks and report thereon, setting forth the reasons for or against the introduction of such book or books." It is properly the function of the board to REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 39 authorize courses of study and to approve the adoption of textbooks on the recommendation of the superintendent. The above rule would reflect upon the administrative procedure of the board, were it not evident that in this matter, as in others, the rules as printed are the result of long-established precedent and are no longer car- ried out in practice. The rules should be amended to accord with practice and with statutory requirement. The larger questions of educational supervision, relating to gen- eral policies which should determine the character of the course of study, the types of school buildings to meet the diversified needs of the schools, and the conditions in the city which from time to time require modification of the general school program, are quite prop- erly the function of the board of education and should have serious and constant thought. But questions relating to the merits of text- books or the qualifications of individual teachers are matters to be determined generally on the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. In the office of the superintendent of schools there is only one assistant, a stenographer, who acts also as a clerk. She does the necessary stenographic work and has charge of the records of teachers and reports from the schools which come to the superin- tendent's office. She is doing all that could be expected of one employee. There is not, however, the complete system of records relating to the educational work of the schools, their progress, the work of teachers, methods of supervision and rating of teachers, teachers' conferences and general activities, attendance records, continuing census cards, individual record card systems, etc., which should be expected. Some are kept in part and others not at all. Office records are most valuable if properly organized and main- tained; if not carefully organized and complete they are of little value. To organize properly the necessary card records and to keep them always available for immediate use require not only clerical help, but also the assistance of someone familiar with educa- tional problems. There should be a secretaryship to the superin- tendent as a definite position in the superintendent's office. This would relieve the superintendent of some of the details to which he is now compelled to give unnecessary attention and enable him to organize his office for more constructive administrative and educa- tional service to the schools. Under the direction of the superintendent, the educational super- vision is carried on by principals and supervisors in special sub- 40 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK jects. A discussion of the supervision of instruction will be found in chapter 9. A more logical organization for the control and administration of the school system is represented graphically in chart 7. BO^RD s^EDUC/ITION 6 MEMBERS SUPERIMTEMDEMT e/^ 5CHO01.S SECRETARY 5TEM06RAPHER JANITORS MEDICAL 1N5PECT0R5 NURSES PUPILS Chart 7 Showing a suggested organization of the city school system Summary The members of the board of education are elected by the people. The term of service is for three years and members have often been reelected. The board has absolute control of the budget esti- mates and expenditures. These conditions could not be better. In its organization the board of education directs in large measure the details of its business affairs, both in the purchasing of supplies and in the supervision of the school plant. The meetings of the board are congested with matters of admin- istrative detail, many of which should be handled directly by the administrative office. In the organization of the administrative offices the responsibility for business matters, under proper restriction, should be centered in the school clerk, or business manager. He should have sufficient clerical help to organize his office and the supply room on a sound basis. The board is overorganized into committees which are expected to attend to matters belonging without question to the experts REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 4I employed by the board. This is particularly true of the subcom- mittees of the committee on buildings and grounds, who authorize all incidental alterations and repairs. The board of education has given too much attention in the past to the administrative details relating to educational supervision, especially regarding the qualifications of teachers and the respective merits of text books. This practice was being corrected by the board even before the law of 191 7 fixed responsibility for such matters. The printed rules on these matters, however, need radical revision. The superintendent of schools should be the chief executive of the board in administrative and educational matters. In his office there is need of a secretary, as well as a stenographer. The board of educat'on gives of its time generously to the schools, but is so hampered in its procedure by rule and precedent that the large and vital questions which concern the schools and their orog- ress have been given little consideration. THE SCHOOL PLANT This chapter on the Utica school plant includes first, a discussion of the location and general adequacy of the school buildings in relation to the growth and shifting of the population. Following this is given an analysis of the rating of each building on the basis afforded by the Strayer score card for city school building/ and a summary of conditions affecting the value of the buildings for school purposes. Distribution of School Buildings with Relation to Population The increase in population of a city as a whole does not mean much in its relation to the educational needs of the city until the conditions are analyzed and interpreted in terms of the conditions which obtain in the different sections of the community. If a cer- tain section is growing rapidly and has been consistently increasing in population through a period of years, the situation demands quite different treatment than in a ward where the population is changing little or decreasing. The following table gives the population of the city by wards for the years 1900, 1905 and 191 5, together with the per cent of increase or decrease for each ward for the ten-year and the fifteen-year periods. Table I Population by wards WARD 1900 1905 1915 PER CENT FOR IS YEARS PER CENT FOR 10 YEARS 1 267 4 748 3 179 2 890 2 086 2 4SS 5 577 8 316 5 520 2 598 3 870 4 185 2 826 3 648 ■ 3 218 1 274 5 460 3 120 2 977 2 855 2 592 6 404 10 355 6 049 2 750 4 368 4 446 3 444 3 204 3 376 708 4 556 2 752 2 359 1 728 2 530 7 619 II 446 5 809 2 751 5 S05 5 263 5 382 4 301 4 418 —44-1 —4.0 —13.4 — 18.4 —17.2 3.1 36.6 37.6 5.2 59 42.2 25.8 90.4 17.9 37.3 — 44-2 —16.6 —II. 8 20.8 — 39. S 6 — 2.4 19.0 8 10. S — ^4.0 0.0 26.0 18.4 56.3 34-2 30.9 1 " Score Card for City School Buildings," George D. Strayer, Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City. [42] REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 43 It is apparent from a glance at the preceding table that many of the wards are decreasing in population. During the fifteen-year period wards i, 2, 3, 4 and 5 show a decrease, and during the ten- year period these same five wards, together with wards 6 and 9, show a loss. In other words, during the past ten years seven wards have been decreasing in population, seven wards have been increas- ing, and one ward shows no change. In the following table the various wards are placed in relative rank for both periods with those showing the greatest percentage of increase at the top. It should be noted that nearly every ward has approximately the same relative position for the two periods. Table 2 Per cent of increase or decrease in population by wards WARD PER CENT INCREASE 10 YEARS RANK PER CENT INCREASE IS YEARS WARD S6.3 34-2 30.9 26.0 19.0 18.4 10. s 0.0 —2.4 —4.0 —II. 8 —16.6 — 20.8 — 39.S —44.2 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 IS 90.4 42.2 37.6 37.3 36.6 25.8 17.9 5-9 S.2 3.1 —4.0 —13.4 —17.2 — 18.4 —44.1 13 II IS 8 IS 7 13 8 14 10 10 6 9 6 3 2 3 s 5 4 I I The city of Utica during the decade from 1905 to 191 5 shows an increase of 28 per cent in its population. As has been said, of the sixteen wards seven show decrease in population from 2 to 44 per cent; one shows no change; seven show an increase from 10 to 56 per cent; and one ward, the sixteenth, was annexed in 1916. In the first ward, where the decrease in population during this decade has been 44.2 per cent, there is no school building. In the fifth ward, with a decrease during this period of 39.5 per cent, is located the Bleecker school, which is the old academy building, erected in 1867, and in which are pupils from the kindergarten through the fourth grade. This building is filled to capacity, with some classes being conducted in dark halls. In the next group on the chart, wards 4, 2 and 3, the decrease during this period has been 20.8 per cent, 16.6 per cent and 11.8 44 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Chart 8 Showing relative increase or decrease of population in the different wards of the city of Utica, together with location of school buildings per cent respectively. In the third ward there is no school building. In the second ward are located the Potter school and No. i8 school. The Potter school is a comparatively new building, erected in 1912. This building provides a school home for the kindergarten and the grades through the sixth. In decided contrast to the Potter school is No. 18 school, located not far distant. This building is in no sense suited to the educational needs of the children or the patrons, who have a right to expect more from the city. Moreover, its REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 45 location could not be worse. Without question the building should be abandoned as soon as possible. On page 54, where is given a rating for the buildings of the city on the Strayer score card for school buildings, this building, including grounds and equipment, is rated 463 out of a possible 1000 points, the lowest of any school building in the city. In the fourth ward is located Union Street school, which was erected in 1874. It is a central grammar school for the boys and girls of the seventh and eighth grades in this part of the city. There is no modern equipment of any kind The building provides space, nothing more. A great contrast is pre- sented by a glance at this old building and the enthusiasm of the boys and girls who are offered practically nothing in physical equip- ment or school environment by which it might be possible to enjoy and profit through the activities provided in a modern school plant With the exception of No. 18 school, this school building ranks the lowest m the city. This is the educational outlook that is being offered these boys and girls at such a vital period in life ! One of the greatest educational opportunities of the city is to be found in correctly solving these problems through the organization of inter- mediate schools. In wards 9, 6 and 10 the change in population in the same period has been less marked. In the ninth ward the decrease has been 4 per ,cent; m the sixth ward, 2.4 per cent; and in the tenth ward there has been neither decrease or increase. No school buildings are located m either the sixth or the ninth wards. In the tenth ward IS the South Street building, erected in 1867. It provides space, such as it is, for children from the first through the sixth grades. As a bmlding it offers no advantages to which the children are entitled. It scores only slightly higher than the Union Street building and should therefore be abandoned as soon as modem school accommodations can be provided. In the eighth, twelfth and seventh wards, the growth in popula- tion has been marked. Jn the eighth ward the percentage of increase from 1900 to 1915 was 37.6, and during the decade from igos to 1915 the increase was 10.5 per cent. The increase from 1900 to 1905 was very rapid, and this growth will doubtless continue as it has during the last decade. The rapid growth between 1900 and 1905 was not met by any new school construction. Not until iqi^ when the Brandegee school was built, was any progress made toward meeting the congestion in this part of the city The Brandegee school and the large addition to the Wetmore school 46 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK built in 1914, resulted from the demands of a congested district of the city, and as a result were practically filled or overcrowded on completion. There are two other buildings in this ward, the Mary Street school, built in 1882, and remodeled and enlarged in 1901, and the Lansing Street school, built in 1858, the oldest building in the city and one which should have been abandoned long ago. The Lansing Street school gives work through the fourth grade; the Mary street school and the Brandegee school through the sixth grade ; and the Wetmore school through the eighth grade. The population in the twelfth ward shows an increase of 25.8 per cent during the fifteen years from 1900 to 1915, and an increase of 18.4 per cent during the last ten years of this period. No. 20 school, which is located in this ward, was built in 1893 and an addition constructed in 1909. This building is now being used to its capacity. The increase in population in the seventh ward during this decade has been 19 per cent, and for the fifteen years mentioned it was 36.6 per cent. There are two school buildings in this ward, the James Kemble school and the Prospect Street school. The Prospect Street school is a one-room building on the extreme southern boundary of the city. It was built eighteen years ago and although doubtless suitable to the needs when built it is no longer of any value as a school in a rapidly growing section of the city. It is a primary school for the first three grades. The James Kemble school, one of the largest buildings in the city, has all grades from the kindergarten through the eighth year. The original building was constructed in 1880, another part in 1900, and what is now the main part of the building, in 1914. The classroom space is entirely occupied. The old original part of the building is used as audi- torium and gymnasium, although not well adapted to these activities. The Prospect Street school should be abandoned and there should be erected in this part of the city, possibly in the southern part of the seventh ward, a modern school plant which will not only meet immediate needs but also provide for the educational needs of this part of the city for a reasonable period in the future. In the next group the increase in population has been even more rapid. The eleventh ward shows an increase of 26 per cent in the ten-year period and an increase of 42.2 per cent in fifteen years. In this ward are located the Francis Street and the Mandeville schools. The Francis Street school was built in 1867 and in 1907 two rooms were added. This school carries the pupils through the fifth grade. The Mandeville school was built in 1899 and is located REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 47 in the extreme northern part of the ward, close to the third ward boundary, where the population is probably decreasing slightly. In this school instruction is given through the sixth grade. The embarrassing lack of school accommodations is in the southern part of the ward. In the fifteenth ward, the population has increased 30.9 per cent in ten years. The Miller Street school, located in this ward, was built in 1871, and a six-room addition was erected in 1909. The instruction is carried through the sixth grade and all the rooms in the building are in use. The fourteenth ward on the western side of the city shows an increase in population during the decade of 34.2 per cent. In this ward is the large Kernan school, built in 191 7, which easily ranks the highest of any school building in the city. In this ward are also schools No. 19 and No. 21. No. 19 school was built in 1892 and No. 21 in 1895. In each of these two schools the work is carried through the sixth grade. The Kernan school covers all work from the kindergarten through the eighth grade. The thirteenth ward shows the most rapid growth of any ward in the city. In 1900 the population of this ward was 2826. In 1905 the number was 3444, or an increase of nearly 22 per cent in five years. In 1915 the population numbered 5382, or an increase in the decade of 56.3 per cent. In the fifteen-year period the increase in this ward has been 90.4 per cent. The only school building in the ward is the Albany Street school, the original four-room build- ing having been erected in 1896, and a four-room addition con- structed in 1909. There is no provision for pupils in this school beyond the sixth grade. The very rapid growth of this section of the city will compel larger and improved school facilities at an early date. The sixteenth ward was annexed to the city in 1916. This new territory lies north of the Mohawk river, and although sparsely populated will develop more rapidly with the completion of the barge canal, and the recently improved means of approach to the business center of the city. There are two school buildings located in this ward. Deerfield No. i is a one-room rural school of primitive type, built over one hundred years ago. Deerfield No. 2 is a three- room building erected in 1896. For this part of the city these two buildings are entirely inadequate. The hijrh school building is a large modern plant. In 1917 a large additi(.n, double the size of the original building, was com- pleted at a cost of $430,000. There is an abundance of classroom 48 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK space, although several important and essential. school activities have been given no thought; at least have not been provided for. The building, however, is one of which the people of the city may well be proud. Historical Summary It is a matter of historical interest to note that the public school buildings of the city of Utica compass the century from 1817 to 1917. The school building known as Deerfield No. i was built in 1817. The new Kernan school was completed in 191 7. There is seen in these two buildings and their equipment a concrete commentary on the vast progress in education which the past century has witnessed. This reference to the old building is of course a mere incident as it is located in territory north of the Mohawk river which was annexed to the city in 191 6. With this exception the buildings now in use have been erected within the past sixty years. For the purpose of presenting a complete record there is given in the following table a list of the public school buildings of Utica, the number of rooms in each, the date when built, and the cost; also the number of rooms, the date, and the cost of any addition, as well as the cost of the complete building. This presents in tabular form what the city has done toward providing school homes for the children of the community. The building known as the "Advanced School," which was erected in 1846, is no longer used for school purposes. During the school year 191 7-1 8 at the time the survey was made this building was used by various county organizations for war activities. Ten years ago this building was a central grammar school, meeting the same need as that for which the Union Street building is now being used. Later this building was used for the vocational school until dis- continued by action of the board of education. Three buildings erected previous to 1875 are in use today in their original condition without remodeling. They are : the Lansing Street school built in 1858, the South Street school in 1867, and the Union Street school in 1874. These buildings should be abandoned at the earliest possible date. In this connection it is of interest to compare the ratings of these buildings with the other buildings of the city as given in table 5. The Bleecker Street building was erected in 1867 as the original home of the Utica Free Academy, and was occupied by the academy until 1899, when a new building was erected on the present high school site. The Bleecker Street building was entirely remodeled in 1900 at an expense approximating the cost of the original struc- ture. The Francis Street building was also erected in 1867, and Deerfield School No. i Building erected in 1817. Contrast with Kernan School (1917) ; a century's progress in school construction. An open-air school, a part of the Kernan School plant REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 49 bD G m •o 9 n XI < H o CO -So 6 p 0) E) E p SS ^•S OOOOmOOmOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 0000i0000\000000000000000 OOOO'^OOOvOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOMNOOOOOwOOOOOOOOOOOO OOmiOOOOiOOO^OOOOOOOOmClfON \0 MM M Tj-mOOOOO MOOOooOOOOOOfOTfOO NrOtH MmMM MfO MN MOfOMWNMN o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o r* 0» M ':t r*5 C^nO 00 0\ '«:t OOiO»0000000'^OOOOOOOOiONfO( Ok^N 0\^t^00oo r^r^r>.M n ooo « romroo t^o OOMOOOOOO'ttOoOOO'O'^f^'^OOOClfO^ •;;:;;. ; . o o ^^'O .^ 0 r^'^O rorOMiot^ COrO POWiO fOO n I>\0 O "^00 ' O^r^tN rorOi-< lOO 0\'^iJ^^-< i PO ro ro t^O (N 'd'O i-i N rO ^(N CN O N lOO\00 lOO ':t'^'^00 0\P01>1000 ^lOf^O W fO< O lO N CO ^ W ■^ Tt-OO -"^ ^ M I t-iro rOMt^r-Nro'^H r ro (N O ro r-o 0\'^r^'^fOt^ro-tt^O\0 0\m woo OvOsrot^ hNrOMOiTl-Ti-rj-'^WMM t-tro ^»^Ot^^*^^C^'«^l-tMl-^ 0»t-vO "M O "^OOOO -^00 ■^' M'OO roOC^i'^O OiDO M O lOCi roc^ cs ij->T3-ioi tHfO rof000vO-t^t^roro "^O ro ^ 0\ r* Oi n -^O cs to Ov rfoo r>- O'^CNro'NNTt-iOMij^iOMMMC^ro torooOt^N^oocstNco -rooo roOOco - lO (N ro ■^ >H UD t-O OO ' ■^ O rooo t^ N rtoo N N ro Oioroc^i O^OOfONW rJ-i>sO roi'icO t-N''i-r*M M ro O O O OOOl>-iOO rofOOO TfvO O t^N t^-^O O»I>00 OcO ro*^^ i/7fOroOt>-t rJ-fOiororO"- WW O ro^n-rt Nw O HvO ro^^rOro^-^ O -^00 roO u^O lO rO '^ lOOO -rh W lO N 0\ w m h-iioMrorowiO'Ci-i'OW M MM c^Tt rofOt^OMfOO\WfOro REPORT OF THE UTJCA SCHOOL SYSTEM 57 feet of playground area to a pupil. This standard is, however, a minimum standard. In the city of London the school authorities require one hundred square feet of free play space to a pupil, and in many American cities plans for new buildings and sites make much more generous provision. The number of square feet of playground area to each pupil in the elementary schools of Utica, omitting three small schools, is given in the following table : Table 7 Playground area per pupil in the elementary schools SCHOOL SQ. FT. Bleecker Street 12 No. 18 18 South Street 21 Wetmore 31 Francis Street 32 Miller Street 32 James Kemble 34 Lansing Street 35 Potter 39 Union Street 44 No. 20 S3 Mandeville 54 Brandegee T2 Albany Street 86 No. 19 89 Kernan 99 Mary Street 108 No. 21 115 From table 7 it is observed that three schools have less than 30 square feet of playground area to a pupil; seven schools have between 30 and 50 square feet to a pupil ; six schools between 50 and 100; and two schools have playground area in excess of 100 square feet to a pupil. What a marked contrast in the playground space provided at the new Kernan school and at the Bleecker Street school! Fortunately the Bleecker Street school is located near a small park which undoubtedly offers opportunity for free play. No effort has been made apparently to make use of the playground areas as centers for recreational activities^ either for the pupils during the school year or for community interests during the 1 Since this report was prepared a municipal commission has been appointed and given authority to organize the playground activities, and an appropria- tion for the work has been made. 58 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK summer vacation. No playground apparatus was observed on any school ground except at the Mary Street school, where the apparatus, consisting of swings and basketball equipment, was said to be owned by the school playground association. The recreational periods during the school sessions are under no supervision. The play- grounds are not used as community centers during the vacation periods. The necessary equipment for these purposes should be provided and the playground activities throughout the year directed as one of the important educational activities of the local school authorities. Of the eighteen elementary school buildings in the group, several are in an environment quite unsuitable for school purposes. Some of the more objectionable features are as follows : Number 18. Overshadowed by neighboring structures that cut off needed light. Adjacent to railroad yards. Dirty and noisy. Saloons near. The limited playground space so cut up as to be almost useless. Potter. Across the street from the railroad yards. Exposed to stable odors. Dirty and noisy. South Street. Livery stable adjoining. Saloon near. Bleecker Street. Saloon, dance hall, and theater nearby. Play- grounds very limited. Small park of some benefit. Brandegee. Large factories near. Smoky. Saloons. Neverthe- less has large grounds and is a vital factor in the center of a congested district. There are objectionable features in the environment of other buildings which might be added to this list. These are mentioned as representing the more unsatisfactory conditions. It is not assumed that it is always possible to select a site with an ideal environment. The school itself should be a power for good and for moral uplift in surroundings which may be morally bad. There are certain large factors, however, which should be kept in mind in selecting a school site in order that the large objectionable features may be avoided whenever possible. The fact is generally recognized that in the grade schools of a city recreational activity is a necessity for the children. Accord- ingly, provision is made in the progressive school systems for such activity in all grade programs. The need of suitable playground equipment is a natural and essential sequence of recognized recrea- tional needs. If children must play it is fitting that they should be provided with the proper implements of play. This remark is The Bleeker Street School The old academy building erected in 1867. Remodelled in 1900 for the elementary gradej. The South Street School An old building in use over fifty years. Should be immediately abandoned. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 59 particularly pertinent in the case of school grounds whose area is so limited as to curtail in large measure freedom of choice among the sports and games that demand a considerable field for their exercise. All schools in Utica are at least reasonably accessible to the pupils who attend them. Few pupils have to walk inconvenient distances and none have unreasonably long distances to travel. Floor space and air space. There are certain regulations regard- ing school building construction which are generally observed throughout the country. In New York State these requirements are enforced partly by law and partly by the regulations of the State Department of Education. The Department has legal authority to prescribe regulations governing the construction of school buildings in all parts of the State except in the cities of the first and second classes. Regulations regarding floor and air space, heating and ventilation, fire escapes on three-story buildings are matters of statute; the requirement regarding the necessary amount of win- dow space is a Department ruling. The statutory requirement is 15 square feet of floor space and 200 cubic feet of air space to each pupil. In the elementary schools of Utica there are approximately 242 classrooms exclusive of kindergarten rooms and counting each study-hall and recitation room^ in the study-hall type of building as a classroom. Of these 242 rooms, 114 do not comply with the requirement as to air space and 108 do not comply with the requirement as to floor space for the number of pupils for whom seats are provided. The distribution of these rooms with regard to degree of deficiency in floor and air space is shown in the following table : Table 8 Distribution of rooms as to required air space and floor area 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% or to to to to to more 99% 89% 79% 69% 59% 128 33 33 16 8 14 134 36 26 16 7 13 Be- low 50% Number of rooms having pro- portion of required air space as indicated Number of rooms having pro portion of required floor area as indicated 10 ^ Kindergarten rooms and six recitation rooms seated with movable benches are not included. 6o THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK These figures show that 114 of 242 rooms do not have the amount of air space required by statute, that 48 rooms have about two-thirds or less of required air space and 24 rooms have less or at best but a little more than one-half the required space. It should be noted also that these are the rooms where the ventilation (see table 10) is the poorest. If we estimate the number of children in each of these rooms as 35, we find that approximately 850 children in the Utica schools are crowded several hours daily into rooms having but one-half the minimum amount of air space required by law. One hundred eight rooms have less than the required floor area, 46 have about two-thirds or less, and 23 have about one-half or less. The minimum requirement of the Education Department regard- ing the amount of window area is that this shall be equivalent to not less than one-fifth of the floor area. This requirement is essen- tially the same as that in force throughout the country except that the requirement is often one-fourth instead of one-fifth. Of the total 248 rooms in the Utica public schools, 127 meet fully the Department regulation and 121, or nearly 50 per cent, have less than the required amount of window area. The distribution of rooms by percentages of required window area is shown in the following table : Table 9 Distribution of rooms as to required window area 100% or more 90% to 99-9% 80% to 89% 70% to 79% 60% to 69% 50% to 59% Be- low 50% Number of rooms having pro- portion of standard amount of glass indicated 127 57 1 '"^'^ 26 is 1^5 ' 9 10 4 Therefore, of the 121 rooms which fall below the standard, 57 have from 90 to 99.9 per cent of the required amount of glass ; 26 have 80 to 89 per cent; 15 have 70 to 79 per cent; 9 have 60 to 69 per cent; 10 have 50 to 59 per cent; and a very small proportion, 4, have less than 50 per cent. Other conditions affecting lighting. Another practice of modern schoolhouse construction is that windows shall be close together, not REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 6l separated by a distance of more than 12 inches, since wider separa- tion causes alternate bands of light and shadow. In but five school- houses, Miller, Potter, Kemble, Kernan and Wetmore, is this pro- vision carried out; in others the width varies from ij^ feet to several feet. The window nearest to the front of the room ought to be at least 7 feet distant from the front wall. If it is nearer it is of little use to the pupils. Moreover, when thus placed it tends to throw direct light upon the blackboard and thus causes a glare. In approximately two-thirds of the schoolrooms in the city the front window is within 2 or 3 feet of the front wall. On the whole, the range of variation from the recognized standard of lighting in the various buildings is exceptionally noticeable. In planning these buildings not much attention was given to the prob- lem of adequate lighting and of proper light-control in the school- room. Warming and ventilation. A very important consideration in the planning and operation of a school building is the question of ventilation. Scientific test has proved again and again that good ventilation substituted for poor, means mental stimulation, increase in health and working energy, and the saving of life. One-third increase in mental efficiency, one-half decrease in days of sick-leave, 90 per cent, 75 per cent, 60 per cent decrease in hospital death rates are proved results of specific cases where poor ventilation has been changed to good. The requirement as to the supply of fresh air in schoolrooms adopted by the Education Department of this State, and generally accepted throughout the country, is that 30 cubic feet of fresh air a minute shall be supplied for each pupil. Table 10 shows the number of rooms in each building of the Utica school system which were tested for ventilation and the average proportion of the required amount of fresh air supplied to each of these rooms. 62 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Table io Summary of ventilation tests WHOLE NO. OF ROOMS NO. ROOMS TKSTED PERCENTAGE OF REQUIRED VENTILATIONS SCHOOL Under 25% Under 50% 50- 75% 75- 90% 90- 100% 100% or over Plenum system Albany 10 22 17 ID 12 10 18 16 8 8 5 4 4 4 8 4 I 2 2 2 I 2 I 2 I 3 2 I I 4 3 I Miller 2 No. 1 8 No. 19 4 No. 20 6 Potter 4 Total IIS 45 5 5 4 7 24 Monarch system Bleecker 10 30 9 10 30 S 13 5 8 12 I 3 2 3 I I I I I I I James Kemble Mandeville II I 7 Wetmore 8 Total 89 43 I 8 3 4 27 Gravity system I 8 8 I 8 8 I 8 8 Total 17 17 9 8 No system Francis 7 10 Direct — steam only The following observations may be noted : 1 In the foregoing table the percentages of required ventilation are based on the enrolment in each room rather than on seating capacity. 2 Obviously the efficiency of any system will depend very largely on the manner of its installation and on the intelligent and thorough manner in which the plant is operated. Data on these points are not at hand. 3 The data are not sufficiently complete or conclusive to warrant generalization regarding the relative merits of different systems of ventilation, 4 Taking 90 per cent as the minimum standard of satisfactory ventilation, the tests show results as follows : Plenum. Of the 45 rooms tested, 14, or 31 per cent, fell below standard; the other 31 rooms, 69 per cent, are recorded as satis- factory. Monarch. Of the 43 rooms tested, 12, or 28 per cent, fell below standard; the other 31 rooms, y2 per cent, made a satisfactory showing. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 63 5 In two of the schools (No. 19 and Potter), the tests gave a perfect score. Tests were made in eight of the twenty-six rooms in these buildings. 6 In two of the buildings ventilated by the Plenum system (Mary and No. 18) the tests indicated very unsatisfactory conditions. Tests were made in nine of the twenty-nine rooms. 7 Five schools (Francis, Lansing, Prospect, South and Union) having an aggregate enrolment of 1174 pupils, are practically with- out ventilation. The temperature readings which were taken in nearly all the rooms show an unusually wide variation. The readings were taken in February. Some of the buildings were visited on holidays when the schools were not in session, and this explains in part the low readings. In the James Kemble school the thirty readings taken in the various rooms range from 58 to 74 degrees. In the Wetmore school the twenty-nine readings range from 44 degrees to 73 degrees. Both of these schools were in session at the time. The minimum, median and maximum readings for each building are as follows: Table ii Thermometer readings SCHOOL MIN. MED. MAX. Albany Street ^ 46 50 50 Bleecker Street 62 70 78 Brandegee 61 68 75 Francis Street 52 70 70 James Kemble 58 63 74 Kernan 66 68 74 Lansing Street 65 68 T2 Mandeville 64 66 66 Mary Street 68 Tz yj Miller Street 62 69 72 Potter 60 70 80 South Street 6a 62 67 Union Street 60 64 68 Wetmore , 44 63 y^ No. 18 62 67 75 No. 19 66 70 76 No. 20I 52 59 74 No. 21 60 70 74 High 64 70 73 ^ School not in session. The range of these readings in some buildings is seen to be unusually wide. In the Potter school the readings range from 60 64 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK to 80 degrees. Seven of the buildings in which school was in session show a variation of from 2 to 9 degrees ; eight of the build- ings show a variation from 10 to 18 degrees; and two buildings from 20 to 29 degrees. At the time of the visit to the Union Street budding the fresh air supply was being taken entirely from the basement ; such a policy even in extreme weather is quite indefen- sible. If the condition of a building is such that this is done by the janitor in winter weather it is a situation regarding which the public should be advised. The following table is of interest in connection with a study of the temperature readings, giving the number of rooms and the per- centage of rooms at the different temperatures : Table 12 Number and per cent of rooms at diiTerent temperatures PER CENT OF READINGS NO. OF ROOMS ROOMS Below 60° 2)1 12.9 60° or 61° II 3.9 62° or 63° 27 9.5 64° or 65° 22 T .-; 66° or 67°... 38 13.3 68° or 69° 53 18.6 70° or 71° 45 15.8 72° or 73° 28 9.8 74° or 75° 13 4-6 76° or if 7 2.5 78° or 79° 3 I.I 80° or above i .4 The unusual number of low readings, due in part to the season of the year, and the rather large percentage of high readings indi- cates not only unsatisfactory conditions in some of the buildings but also a lack of thorough supervision and control in the organization of the janitorial staff. In buildings of modern construction differ- ences of 16, 18 and 20 degrees in temperature in different rooms of the same building are far too great to be explained by a mere reference to the winter season. Whether the difficulty is with the personnel of the staff or with the installation of the heating and ventilating system is a vital question which should be promptly solved. Table 13 shows the percentage of required toilet accommodations provided in the various school buildings. It is computed upon the standard set by the Strayer Score Card for City School Buildings (see page 51), one seat for every 15 girls, one seat for every 25 boys and one urinal for every 15 boys. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 65 o O r^ r^ +J M >-j 'd n a> f, ^ H 3 c V 7) 000000 5 ^5 tn e! ss-sj N 00 M IN OOvO > « ro w Bi w ^ ■* t^ ro Om-1 ^ °^ m _2 . 10 • "o 6? ^0^ ■ in ■ u T fe5 m ■ H . g ^ ■ N-O ^ ^■sj ■ n\d ^ m ■ ■*ro -: 'o 00 -1 _m WM H "o I/) M M 00 fe5 JB t-t N C^ _• "o t^ On-i ^°1 ^ \0 »/^nO ^ ^*s| M M ^ CO nun _■ "o ^°l ^^1 n ■ N fe5 m m >0 ■ Tf 10 6^ 8 m UP/IS /axx) apoo Gpoo 4000 2000 soo 400 300 BOO /OO Chart 9 Showing increase in attendance and in teaching staff from 1890 to 1917 The teaching staff of the Utica schools at the time of the survey consisted of the following organizations : I high school principal 5 supervisors 51 high school teachers 21 elementary school principals 324 elementary school teachers 33 special teachers 435 total staff (represents total number of blanks filled out by teachers) 92 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK As the larger problems of supervision have been discussed in another chapter, it is the purpose to take up here the general train- ing and experience of the teach' ng staff as well as the general con- ditions under which appointments to the staff are made ; and the compensations which are offered for meritorious service. Training Of the 324 elementary school teachers in the Utica schools (class- room and substitute teachers) 72 per cent are normal school graduates, and of these more than 10 per cent have college degrees or have done summer school work in higher institutions of recognized merit. Twenty-one per cent of the elementary school teachers are high school graduates with some additional training, although for considerably over one-half of these the only additional work was secured in the Utica Training School or by correspondence or miscellaneous private courses. Of the entire elementary teaching body, 4 per cent have had no educational training beyond the high school, and 3 per cent never finished the high school course. In scholastic and professional preparation for their work the elemen- tary teachers in the Utica schools probably compare favorably with similar groups in cities of the same class. Of the 51 high school teachers, 32, or aproximately 6^ per cent, are college graduates, 20 of these having had additional training. Twelve of the high school teachers are normal school graduates with additional training of notable quality, i is a nornial school graduate, and 6 are high school graduates with additional work. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 9,^ Chart lo gives a graphic illustration of the training of the elemen- tary and secondary teachers .n the Utica schools. Secondary Chart io Showing the training of elementary and secondar}^ teachers m the Utica schools 94 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In education and general professional equipment the teaching staff in both elementary and secondary grades maintains a reasonably high standard. The tendency to continue graduate work in college or in summer school is to be commended and is worthy of special recognition in the salary schedule. Experience The median age of the elementary teachers in Utica is 30 years, of the high school teachers 37 years, and of the entire teaching staff, the med.an age is 31 3^ears. The range in the age scale is from 19 to 71. In the elementary grades 53 per cent of the teaching staff are under 30 years of age; 27 per cent between 30 and 40; 12 per cent between 40 and 50 ; and 8 per cent between 50 and 65 years of age. In the high school, i teacher is 71, another 67, and another 63 years of age. A/£//VS£R or r£:/lCH£RS ro /s zo is_ JO JS /eoi /eet /a»a taai /ae? /eea /eea /eso laai lesi. /aai taas- lasi, /asr /a9a /e93 taoa /oot /90J t9t34 /30a /S03 /3/0 13/1 i3l2 I3li /*/•» /3I~S /St 6 13/7 Chart ii Showing" tenure of service of Utica teachers The range of experience is from o to 49 years. The median for the years of teaching experience is 9 years. Fifty per cent of the teaching staff have taught 9 years or less; 36 per cent have taught 5 years or less ; 8 per cent of the elementary teachers have had no REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 95 experience. The average length of teaching experience in the high school is approximately the same as in the elementary grades. The majority of the elementary school teachers were born in Utica. Less than 30 per cent of the total teaching experience was gained outside of the city. Over 60 per cent of the regular teachers are local products with no teaching experience elsewhere. In one school of ten teachers, nine were born in Utica, all are graduates of local schools, five have never attended school elsewhere, and none has ever taught outside of Utica. The principal of this school is a graduate of the local high school with no additional training or teaching experience elsewhere. One-fourth of the principals were born and educated locally and have had no teaching experience except in Utica. The tendency for years past has been to appoint as teachers young, inexperienced " home girls " at the minimum salary. Many of these girls are appointed each year as " substitute teachers." The regula- tions of the board of education require one year's experience for appointment as a regular teacher. In actual practice, therefore, the appointment of these substitute teachers means that the annual increase to the teaching staff has been largely recruited from girls without experience elsewhere. The sixteen substitutes who furnished data for this survey are all Utica girls ; they had had no teaching experience except one who had taught a year. This poUcy seems to date from the discontinuance of the city train ng school a few years ago. While the training school was in operation the necessary supply teachers were provided from the school in connection with their practice teaching. When this source of supply was no longer available, the board began the employment of " substitute teachers," who almost invariably are normal school graduates, residents of Utica, w thout experience in teaching. In fact, this policy has become so well established that many of these young women on graduating from norm?l school expect an appoint- ment as " substitute teacher " without question. This pi n has apparently defeated one purpose for which the training school was discontinued, n that it continues a definite program of local inbreed- ing. The number of " substitute teachers " employed varies from year to year. It seems to bear no definite relation to the number of regular teachers in the system. It is possible that this is m economical arrangement for providing the necessary supply teachers ; however, the opportunity which it offers for easy appoint- 96 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ment of local applicants should have the serious consideration of the local school authorities. Instead of recruiting the teaching staff with so many local and inexperienced } oung women, Utica might be drawing a reasonable quota of its teachers from the best of the smaller schools of the State, or at least from the central part of the State, bring. ng into the schools an equipment and experience which have been proved by successful service elsewhere. Any other basis for the selection of a reasonable proportion of the teachers is an injustice to the city and to the children for whom the schools are maintained. From the records of the board of education it appears that the probationary period has been fixed at one year. The statute govern- ing this matter permits the fixing of this period from one to three years. The local school authorities have, therefore, determined upon the shortest possible term for the probationary service, one year, after which the teacher's tenure is permanent. It might not be unwise for the local authorities to give some careful thought to this situation, as a modified policy might be adopted which would be of benefit to the schools. Under the conditions now obtaining, teachers are given permanent tenure and put into a position for automatic salary increases in the shortest possible period of time. Salaries In accordance with the action of the board of education at a meeting held May 10, 1917, it is provided that substitute teachers be paid an annual salary of $550, and that regular teachers from the kindergarten to the eighth grade inclusive receive $600 to $1000, the annual increase being $50. It Is also provided that experience else- where than in Utica is credited the same as experience in the city. The salaries actually paid classroom teachers in the elementary grades ranged from $550 to $950; of these teachers, 62 per cent received $850, and 36 per cent received less than tliis amount. The salaries of all those employed in the elementary schools, including regular teachers, special teachers and principals, ranged from $550 to $2200, the median salary being $850. The schedule of salaries for the high school as fixed by the board of education is as follows: department heads, $1800 to $2000; men assistants in departments of science, mathematics, language and history, $1500 to $1800, in commercial department, $1200 to $1500, in drawing, $1300 to $1600; women assistants in regular work REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 97 o M ^ >. o ^ i^ i^ i5> 1^ ^ ,^ ^ ,^ '^ 5^ ^ ,^ S to " -a tij 5 •V'V'Hn.w.svwv.sn-x $900 to $1200; substitutes $900 to $1200; sewing teachers $800 to $1000. The range of salaries paid for the entire teaching staff of Utica including the high school principal, is from $550 to $3000. The median salary for the city as a whole is $850. 4 98 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK It may be of interest in this connection to compare the median salaries in elementary and secondary schools in Utica, Binghamton and Schenectady, from which cities this information was secured at the same time. BJMGHAMTON $ 7Z5 SCHEMECTADY $ 750 UTICA ^ 850 BINGHAMTON $ 950 SCHEMCCTADY $1000 fTICA $1150 SCO 10 oo zoo +0 600 800 1000 I200 ^^ "^■" M^ ^" fl^lB ^^ ^■M ^^^^^^ Chart 13 Showing median salaries in elementary grades and in high schools in Binghamton, Schenectady and Utica Notwithstanding the fact that the maximum salary for elementary teachers is the same in Utica and Binghamton ($1000), there is quite a difference in the median salary actually paid. The median salary for grade teachers in Binghamton is $725, while in Utica it is $850. The median salary in the high school in Binghamton is $950, while in Utica it is $1150. This does not mean that the salary schedule in these cities is satisfactory, but rather that the salaries actually beng paid are too low. The rise in the cost of living has been so abrupt that teachers are not so well paid relatively as they were ten years ago. Moreover, the low wages of school teachers generally throughout the country are causi'ng thousands of young women who might otherwise become good teachers to seek more remunerative fields. For the same reason business college and civil service lists are filled with the names of teachers who are leaving the classroom. Salaries of teachers must be increased both to secure for the schools in our c.ties and villages the best ability now avail- able and to encourage the best type of young men and women to enter the teaching field. In this regard, a progressive city like Utica should make sure that it leads its neighbors by a clear margin, so as to attract the best possible teaching personnel. Length of service alone should not determine the salary increases. Mere length of serv ce divorced from other factors may have a deadening influence on the teaching staff. The present salary REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 99 schedule permits of adjustments for experience gained elsewhere, but there is no provision to encourage unusual ability or growth in service. Length of service should be accompanied by genuine growth and constantly increasing efficiency. It will be seen that special effort in this direction would pay rather large dividends in Utica when it is recalled that 50 per cent of the teaching force is less than 31 years of age. If teachers are wisely directed and helped and if opportunities for professional growth are improved their service to the schools becomes more and more valuable ; if, however, this is not done and professional growth is not encouraged the value of the teacher and her efficiency are rapidly lessened. Where teachers have taught from ten to twenty years and even longer, steadily, without a break or change except for vacations, as is true of many teachers in Utica, the daily work of the classroom reflects the deadening monotony of the task. This problem as to the methods by which growth in service may be encouraged is one of the most important confronting our city school authorities. Salary increases may well be automatic up to a certain poiut, beyond which, however, provision should be made for recognizing and rewarding superior training, growth and abihty, and efforts toward increased efficiency. Attendance at summer sessions of universities and teachers colleges, leave of absence granted for special study as well as faithful and intelligent service may properly be made the basis of increased compensation. The large proportion of Utica elementary school teachers who have such work already to their credit promises well for the results of. such a provision. The high school teachers in Utica have been drawn from a some- what wider field. Only five are graduates of the Utica schools and three of these have taught elsewhere. However, with only slightly over one-half of the high school teachers college-trained, there is need of strengthening the secondary teaching staff. Summary The number of teachers in the Utica schools in both elementary and secondary grades based on the pup Is in average daily attendance is normal. The tendency in Utica in this respect seems to be in accord with the best thought in other progressive communities. The plan of appointing annually as " substitute teachers " local girls, normal school graduates, usually without any teaching experi- ence continues a policy of local inbreeding which presents a serious 4 100 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK feature of the situation regarding the teaching staff. The purpose of these appointments is nominally to provide supply teachers. With few exceptions these teachers are later given regular positions on the permanent staff. Seventy-two per cent of the elementary school teachers are normal school graduates, and of the high school teachers 63 per cent are college graduates. In education and in professional training the elementary teaching staff maintains a reasonably high standard. Many teachers have done graduate work in college or summer school. Fifty per cent of the teachers are 31 years of age or younger and the average number of years of teaching experience is 9. Unfortunately over 70 per cent of the teaching experience of the elementary teachers was gained locally. A reasonable quota of the teachers may well be local products. The present policy is contrary, however, to every principle of sound educational administration. The supreme interests of the schools demand that this procedure be modified. With a maximum salary of $1000 in the elementary grades and of $1200 in the high school, the regular classroom teachers are underpaid. The median salary in the grades is $850 and in the high school $1150. Salaries paid to teachers must be commensurate with the compensation paid in other activities. The long period of professional training and the responsibilities of the work must soon compel a radical reorganization of the schedule of teachers' salaries in all communities. Teachers are more poorly paid today than they were ten years ago. The probationary period in Utica is too short for the best interests of the schools. This might better be two or three years than one year. The salary schedule might well take into consideration growth in service and efforts toward increased efficiency as shown by attendance at summer sessions of college or normal school or leave of absence for travel and study. 7 COURSE OF STUDY AND INSTRUCTION IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS There are at least three ways of measuring and weighing the actual work of the schools: (i) by a careful consideration of the curriculum as a whole and of the daily programs by which this curriculum is carried out in the classrooms; (2) by personal visita- tion, observation and estimate of actual classroom work; (3) by scientific tests and measurements of results. None of these methods is infallible or adequate in itself but a combination of them should be of value in arriving at a just evaluation of school work. All have been applied by the survey staff in its investigation of the work of the public schools of Utica. The Course of Study The Utica course of study, as regards the major subjects, is based in large measure upon the Elementary Syllabus of the State Depart- ment of Education. The printed course of study (1913) prescribes nine subjects, of which six are assigned for all grades, from the first to the eighth inclusive. These six subjects are: reading, English (composition and grammar), spelling, arithmetic, history, physi- ology. Geography is assigned to grades 3-8 inclusive ; cooking is assigned to the upper half of the seventh and to the eighth grade, and manual training to the seventh and eighth grades. It would be unfair to criticize the Utica curriculum on the basis of this list, since a glance at the daily programs shows that the printed course only partially represents what is actually going on in the classrooms. Evidently this is true for the curriculum of the Utica elementary schools is richer and more flexible than the printed course indicates. There is no mention, for example, of writing, which is well done in the schools, nor of music, drawing and physical training. Moreover, in fact, sewing, v/hich is not included in the printed list, cooking and manual arts have been extended down as far as the fifth grade, although one principal, at least, feels that the time given in the fifth grade to these subjects is inadequate. A consideration of the Utica course with its natural accretions suggests certain constructive criticisms. The controlling aims and principles of a course of study should be reasonably fixed, but in its content, in the teaching emphases and in the flexibility of details, [loi] I02 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK it should be sensitively and sanely adapted to changes of the times and to local peculiarities. In other words, the Elementary Syllabus of the State Department which is intended only as a general outline for all the schools of the State, including those in struggling out- lying districts, might wisely be enlarged in order to offer an enriched curriculum for Utica. Every one of the seven major subjects pre- scribed for the elementary grades should reflect the world changes since the Utica course was printed in 1913 and should be taught in terms of local needs. In a changing world and a changing com- munity, there is no place for static subject matter or methods of teaching, if our whole educational process is not to prove abortive. A very promising response to this need in Utica appears in the publication of a " Tentative Course of Study for Schools in Foreign Districts " 1916-17, based' upon the city course but adapted more closely to the needs of children in the foreign sections. The survey does not indicate, however, that this movement has gone much further than the formulation and printing of the pamphlet. In this connection, the following quotation from Dr William Ettinger, superintendent of schools of the city of New York, is of interest : As our schools are the Nation's most potent instrument in the develop- ment of national ideals, it would be strange indeed if this world crisis did not compel changes in our conceptions as to the value and the function of education as a phase of our institutional life. We are called upon to scrutinize anew our work in terms of our underlying theories, our method of instruction and our discipline, in order that through reflection we may acquire that freshness of vision, that truthfulness of aim, and that stead- fastness of purpose necessary to insure the salvation of our democracy through the proper training of our future citizens. The present organization of the course o£ study in Utica does not make adequate provision for adolescent boys and girls either in determining their individual capacities and interests or in properly relating their grade work to the larger field of the high school. The school mortality in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades in any school system is deplorably high. A wastage of human power seems inevitable in this storm and stress period of their school life through which children pass, but by a wise selection of work, by an enlarged and enriched curriculum which shall consider their present need in its relation to their future, by articulating and cor- relating similar courses — as shopwork and mechanical drawing or geography and history — so that the pupil may realize the connec- tion and meaning and aim of what he is doins;, the Utica schools may do far more than is now done to lessen the school mortahty in these grades. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM IO3 All that has been said about the course of study points inescapably, also, to the need in the elementary schools of expert, intimate and continuous supervision, and of the modification and redirection of the teaching energies of the city. The same need is as clearly indi- cated by a study of the daily programs of the Utica schools. Daily Programs of Study Followed in the Elementary Schools ^ It is necessary in an examination of a system of schools to con- sider not only the outlined courses of study but also to examine the programs which show by means of the daily schedules, how these courses are operated. As with the course of study as a whole, the problem of program-making in a large city system is somewhat complex. Each group of schools serves a different element in the community. One section may be industrial, another residential ; one may have in its school population a majority of children representing diverse nationalities ; another may be predominantly of one national- ity. The methods of teaching primary reading and language and the amount of time devoted to the language group as a whole may conceivably differ materially in a school where most of the children are of Italian parentage from those in a school attended by Ameri- can-born children of the better class. In the latter, the foundation of English instruction has already been laid at home ; in the former, English is at first a foreign language. Some schools, also, because of their environment, should place more emphasis than others upon the vocational or industrial features of their work. It is desirable therefore, as suggested, that a course of study shall be sufficiently broad to meet these varying needs and that the daily program shall be adjusted to its school environment. But there are certain prin- ciples of program-making which remain constant. The relative time allotment of arithmetic to other subjects in the primary grades, the emphasis placed upon it in the several grades, the extent to which formal instruction shall be given in phonics, the time which shall be g'ven to physical training, to music and drawing, to geography and history, are generally understood in good educational practice. In other words, standardization of time schedules in certain subjects and flexibility in others, notably in the language and history groups, to meet community needs, are desirable in a well-ordered system of schools. These observations will indicate our belief that the problem of program-making deserves the serious consideration of the educa- tional directors of any school system. 1 See Appendix 2, 104 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK With these principles in view, we turn to the daily programs of the Utica schools. From an examination of the program of each teacher, an analysis has been made of the time given daily in each grade in each school to the subjects of instruction suggested in the outline of study. The material thus gathered presents some interest- ing facts. There are eighteen grammar schools in the city, omitting the two in the Deerfield section which may be regarded as rural schools. Of these eighteen schools, four have eight full grades, one has grades iB to 7B inclusive, nine have six full grades, one has grades iB to 5B inclusive, two have four full grades and one, the Union Street School, the seventh and eighth grades. In each of these schools there are A and B sections, representing work one-half year apart, and in many of the larger schools there are several divisions of the same grade, each under a separate teacher. Represented in tabular form, the distribution of schools is as follows : Grades 7 B-8 A i Grades i B-8 A 4 Grades i B-7 B i Grades i B-6 A 9 Grades i B-5 B i Grades i B-4 A 2 18 The programs of these eighteen schools indicate no time allot- ment in twelve of the schools for hygiene, in five of the schools for history, in fifteen of the schools for handwork, in nine of the schools for oral number, in seven of the schools for supervised study. It is probably true that in many of these schools attention is given to these phases of education in connection with instruction in related subjects. The fact remains, however, that in the organiza- tion of the daily schedules no time has been assigned for definite work in them. When we come, moreover, to an examination of the time schedules for the subjects v/hich form the backbone of the school curriculum, we find a wide valuation among different schools in the amount of time devoted to these subjects. This might not be objectionable if these variations were based upon the principles of program-making mentioned in the first part of this report, notably the ones relating to the character of the school environment and population. But when we find two schools of the same type showing these differences, REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 105 this lack of uniformity is distinctly undesirable. Extreme examples of this are (i) 165 minutes a day given to reading and English in the I A grade of school X where comparatively few of the children are of foreign parentage and 75 minutes given to the same subjects in the same grade of school Y, which is a typical foreign school, and (2) arithmetic given 10 minutes a day in the 2 A grade of school Z and 60 minutes a day in the same grade of school W. We find also in many individual schools this same time variation (i) between different subjects in the several grades and (2) between different grades in the same subject. Illustrations of (i) are as follows: In school A daily assignments in the 2 A grade of 45 minutes to reading 35 spelling 15 phonics 25 language 60 arithmetic in the 3 A grade of 60 reading 15 spelling phonics 20 language 20 arithmetic In school B daily assignments in the 3 B grade of 40 reading 15 language 45 arithmetic in the 5 B grade of 20 reading 20 language 20 arithmetic Illustrations of (2) are as follows : In one school assignments in arithmetic in the i A grade of 10 minutes " 2 A " 60 " 3 A " 20 " 4 A " 25 In a second school assignments in arithmetic in the i B grade of 20 minutes " 2 B . " 40 " 3 B " 40 " 4 B " 20 I06 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK These inconsistencies are still more marked in the English group, including reading, phonics and language or grammar. One school shows an assignment of /O minutes in the i A grade and 90 minutes in the 4 A grade; another school 70 minutes in the i B grade and no minutes in the 4 B grade. The differences become less marked in the upper grades, probabty because instruction becomes more standardized in these grades. Custom and the common judgment of teachers generally determine the amount of time that may profitably be devoted to a given subject in the upper grades. The range in arithmetic in grades 5 to 8 is comparatively narrow, extend- ing usually from 20 to 25 minutes in the fifth, 25 to 30 minutes in the sixth and ^o minutes in the seventh and eighth, although we find one teacher in a 5 A grade who still thinks she can profitably devote 50 minutes a day to arithmetic. The variation in the English group is somewhat greater, extending from 30 minutes in one fourth grade to 90 minutes in another " 33 " fifth " 75 " 35 " sixth " 75 " 30 " seventh " 88 " 30 " eighth " 85 The average division of time in reading and language in these grades, however, is satisfactory. It is usually about 45 minutes in grade 4 (divided into 25 minutes for reading and 20 minutes for language), 50 minutes in grade 5 (divided into 25 minutes for reading and 25 minutes for language), 55 minutes in grade 6 (divided into 25 minutes for reading and 30 minutes for language), and 60 minutes in grades 7 and 8 (divided into 30 minutes for reading and 30 minutes for language). In the table given below we have indicated the minutes each day given (i) to reading, (2) to phonics, (3) to language or grammar, and (4) the total daily time given to English instruction (with the exception of spelling). The table shows clearly where the differ- ences indicated above arise. In the primary grades it is brought about through the different conceptions individual teachers may have regarding the value and the place of phonics. A good primary teacher usually feels that 20 minutes a day is enough to give to the teaching of phonics in grade i or 2 and that formal instruction in the subject may well cease with the completion of the second grade. We find, however, that in four first grades and in nine second grades no instruction in phonics is given and that in three fourth REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 107 grades, two fifth grades and three sixth grades such instruction is given. One teacher in the first grade feels that she can use 65 minutes a day profitably in teaching phonics, one teacher in the second grade, 40 minutes, and three teachers in the third grade, 25 minutes. All these assignments seem excessive and wasteful. Differences in the English group also arise in the intermediate and grammar grades through the division of time between reading and language or grammar so that while the sum of these two may be normal, one teacher may wish to give 20 minutes to reading and 40 to language and another may reverse the allotment. One of the most important factors in the successful operation of a school is the supervision of the pupils' school work. The forma- tion of correct habits of study is, next to the direction of right thinking of which it is a part, the most important function of the school. We scrutinize, therefore, with interest the provisions made in the schools of Utica for supervised study and for study periods. The general lack of any time set apart for supervised study leads us to believe that the teachers in the city either are not informed with respect to a significant movement of modern education or are not keenly interested in this movement. In seven of the eighteen schools no programs show any time so assigned and in two of the others 5 minutes a day is given in the 5 B grades of one school and 5 minutes a day in the 2 A grade of another school. In the first three grades of school X and in the i A grade of school Y no time is assigned either to supervised study or to study periods. The range of assignments to both elements of study time is as follows : Grade i B A B o o . o o o 4 B S3 4 A 45 B 65 A 50 B 65 A 60 B 70 7 A 60 8 B 60 8 A 54 o minutes to 115 minutes 150 125 120 " 105 105 105 no no 100 115 95 88 135 126 I08 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Careful review, then, of the course of study and daily programs of Utica's elementary schools seem to lead to the following con- clusions and suggestions : 1 The printed curriculum, published in 19 13, is not a fair state- ment of work actually done in the classroom. Advancement has been made; but there has been no such progress in adapting the course of study to the times and to the needs of various sections of the city as is to be expected in such a city as Utica. 2 It is evident that no standards have been followed as a guide for drafting daily programs and that there has not been sufficient careful weighing of the elements which enter into the problem. It seems to have been left to each principal and in some instances to the individual teacher to determine the relative time values to be given to each major subject. As a result the program of one school may be excellent, representing the thoughtful consideration of an efficient principal and corps of teachers, while the program of another school may be distinctly open to criticism. 3 In music, drawing and physical training, subjects under the direction of special supervisors, we find uniform assignments, prop- erly graded. This indicates that the supervisors of these subjects have a definite program in mind and have seen that proper provision has been made in each school for these subjects. 4 The conclusion from these facts seem to be that if the Utica course of study and its administration through daily programs are to bring to the children all that they should, they must be determined and directed by systematic, intelligent general or central control. This probably means the institution of a system of city supervisors of major subjects who shall serve the superintendent like the fingers of a hand. These supervisors should not be confused with special teachers of whom there are many in the special subjects. It would be the function of the supervisors, under the direction of the super- intendent, to examine the educational standards in other progressive cities, to study the local and community needs, to determine the minimum essentials in each special field, to fix the proper proportion of time grade by grade between major and minor subjects, to cor- relate these subjects and to arrange them in their proper sequence, to standardize methods of instruction and programs of study, to measure, evaluate and record results scientifically, and above all to stimulate and guide teachers to more effective and inspiring service. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM IO9 Instruction in the Elementary Schools In the following pages will be found discussion of conditions regarding the teaching of the principal subjects in the elementary curriculum of the Utica schools. A measure of the attainment of pupils in certain of these subjects may be found in the chapter entitled: "Achievement in Fundamental Subjects as Measured by Standard Tests." The statements in this chapter are based upon a wide range of observations of classroom work made by members of the field force of the Education Department. Reading Procedure in teaching reading in the Utica elementary schools is distinctly variable. In some schools the observer notes careful attention to approved technic as expressed in systematic drill in phonics, drills for the mastery of new words, silent reading, quiz for meaning and oral reproduction of the story. Occasional exer- cises in dramatization for the purpose of developing lively apprecia- tion of meaning and expressive interpretation of thought, also characterize the practice of the more progressive teachers. In other schools such features characterize the work of individual classrooms only, and their practice in such rooms serves to accentuate their absence from other rooms. In the latter type of schools, the routine thing is the usual thing. Failure to exemplify the common principles of good methodology, neglect of devices to inspire interest, lack of enthusiasm on the part of the teacher and of spirit on the part of pupils, are often noted by the visitor. It would appear that a large proportion of the lower grade teachers of the Utica system are deficient in knowledge of the fundamental characteristics of good technic in teaching reading or are neglectful of its practice. While it is true that the most skilled and resourceful women of the profession are trying out new devices and unusual methods, it is also true that running through all their procedures is found a clear conception of correct child-psychology and so of sound pedagogy. Of course, it is not to be expected that in any system of schools different individuals in the teaching force will possess equal skill in guiding their pupils to successful effort. The regrettable thing about the reading observed in the Utica schools hes m the fact that so many of the grade teachers apparently do not know their limitations in knowledge of technic or lack the disposition to strive for better acquaintance with it. no THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In connection with the foregoing paragraphs it is pertinent to remark that supervision along standard Unes may accompHsh much. In some of the schools of the Utica system evidences of such super- vision are manifest, in others they are not. Probably the supervisor of primary grades is influencing the teaching in some degree, but impressions gained from observations and from interviews lead to the conclusion that for the most part the responsibility for proper methods or for their absence in the classroom rests with individual principals. On no other ground can the great variation in peda- gogical practice, from that which is sound to that which is repre- hensible, be properly accounted for. It would seem that in a system of schools no larger than that of Utica, it would be possible so to organize and direct the teaching of reading that the visitor in passing from grade to grade and from school to school would see everywhere evidences of a correct pedagogical theory exemplified in correct classroom practice. The absence of such evidences in many classrooms suggests to the observer the lack of a correct working theory growing out of ineffectiveness in supeiwision. English The conspicuous feature regarding the instruction in literature, composition and grammar observed in the Utica schools is its unevenness. It varies from formal, ineffective, bookish work to instruction of a high order of excellence. It is evident that the quality depends almost wholly upon the ability and initiative of individual teachers and principals rather than upon established methods of teaching suggested and enforced by central supervising authority. In literature there was observed too much rote mem- orizing, too much reading of words without due attention to thought, too little skilful story-telling and too little really interpretative, stimulating class reading and discussion. Comparatively little dram- atization was noted. In composition much of the work observed was on the border line between composition and grammar; it emphasized form rather than content. Vitalized exercises in oral composition were observed, but there seemed little reason to believe that they formed a systematic part of the instruction in all grade rooms. The diversity of practice and on the whole the failure adequately to employ accepted methods of instruction in composition are indi- REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM III cated by restilts attained in the use of the Nassau county supplement of the Hillegas Composition Scale. They are in brief as follows : Grade k 5678 Standard median Z-S 4 4-S 5 5-5 Utica median 2.4 3.1 Z-7 4-6 5-2 Highest and lowest median earned by individual grades 1.9 2.5 2.2 4.1 4 to to to to to 2.9 2>-7 S-6 S-6 6.1 The typical form of grammar instruction may be fairly illustrated by the following excerpts from field notebooks : Routine lesson in telling parts of speech in sentences placed on board by ■pupils — two such sentences during period. Then two or three words were parsed and sentences containing adjective pronouns were given. Lesson was well planned. Mediocre and mechanical — most of period spent in repeating in rotation two rules for the use of the comma. It is pleasant to note that many observations of instruction in English classes were of a more favorable nature. The following are typical descriptions of the better t3'pe of work observed in many classrooms : Children told stories of Cincinnatus and Horatius well. Teacher effaced herself and children did the work. The oral expression of those who participated was satisfactory. Story told by teacher who had strict attention throughout. Teacher showed marked aptitude in narrating story. Later children wrote story they had^told the previous day. Reading and interpretation of the closing paragraphs of " The Man Without a Country " — a creditable exercise. Lesson consisted of interpretative reading. Quite out of the ordinary; clearly developed an appreciation and love for books. The deduction clearly to be drawn from the observation in English classes in the Utica elementary schools is that competent supervision of instruction in this field would very materially improve the results secured. Arithmetic The primary work in arithmetic in the city of Utica is now passing through a transition period. Two years ago no number work was introduced in the first year and the number facts in the 112 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK second and third grades were taught concretely. Number work is now commenced in the i B grade and throughout the first three grades its general character and content are commendable. A vigor- ous and thorough attempt is made to teach the combinations abstractly and render their use automatic. The general plan of this instruction is sound but in every school one or more teachers are found who, for one cause or another, are deviating from the general scheme and are thus retarding or vitiating the results. In some rooms the pupils show great skill in their work while perhaps in the next grade this evidence of successful work is wholly lacking. Rapidity and exactness are followed by slowness and inaccuracy. These faults can easily be remedied by closer supervision. The wide variation in time given to arithmetic has been indicated in the discussion of the daily programs. There is also a lack of uniformity in handling the drill work from room to room. This necessitates the pupils' learning anew the mechanics of the drill with a consequent impairment of their proficiency and a retardation in their normal advancement. This confusion of aims is apparent owing to the too free expression of the individual taste of the teacher. For this system of teaching the fundamental facts of number to be a success every teacher must appreciate the ends which are sought and be thoroughly conversant with the means that are employed to achieve this end. The general results at the end of the third grade are fairly satis- factoiy and will doubtless improve as the teachers become more familiar with the general plan and more accustomed to the form of drill. There is a conspicuous failure to give concrete applied work in these early grades. The mastery of abstract combinations is no guaranty that any proficiency will be shown in applying them to concrete settings. While the number facts can be better fixed abstractly there must be a conscious effort to teach the application of these facts to simple problems which might grow out of the child's experience. A child ma.y know perfectly a combination as 9 -j- 5 and yet be utterly unable to apply this fact to a situation such as "I had 14 marbles and gave 5 to James; how many had I left?" It is fully as important that the application be taught as that skill in computation be developed. A careful discrimination between logic and calculation must be appreciated by the teacher. The training of the attention of the pupils in the early grades has not in general received so much consideration from the teachers REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM II3 as is desirable. The general attention given by the class to the work of the teachers shows marked degrees of difference from . room to room. Attention is a prerequisite to success in teaching the combinations by the system used in this city. In several rooms the work proceeded so slowly that inattention was inevitable. In other rooms much time is lost in distributing materials, in not having a definite plan of procedure, by unnecessary talking of teacher, by carelessness in giving directions, etc. The general plan of work as undertaken in the lower grades will eventually bring the desired results if it is carefully worked out and sympathetically followed by the various teachers. Frequent conferences and painstaking supervision must accompany the development of this plan. Abstract formal drill occupies a part of every recitation in the upper grades. Some schools are well equipped with material for this work and others have none. A portion of each recitation is also given to oral work, correlated often with the written lesson of the day. Some teachers have carefully prepared questions for their classes while other teachers depend upon the inspiration of the moment. To reach its greatest value mental work should be care- fully planned and graded. In the v/ritten work of the upper grades the use of the textbook predominates, with but little evidence of a tendency tO' supplement intelligently the material in the textbook in such a way as to give it a concrete setting and a reality based as far as possible upon the pupil's experience. The stereotyped problem is used to the exclusion of the one expressed in terms of quantitative relations which sur- round the pupil in his every-day experience. Too often the teacher does not show a reasonable familiarity with arithmetic applications in the daily activities of the city and much of the work fails to interpret correctly sound business principles. First-hand knowledge of the commercial and industrial opportunities of the city would enable the teacher to draw many problems from local activities and to correlate the subject matter of arithmetic with both social and industrial activities in which it is supposed to function, thus making the subject matter of service in carrying on the work of the community. Pupils could be encouraged to make up and bring in original problems which would naturally reflect the environment and be of material assistance in guiding the teacher in her choice of problems. 114 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK A sun^ey of the larger industries of the city would also furnish a definite basis for selection of problems. Much attention is apparently given to the form of the pupils' • work. As a rule, the work on the boards presented a good appear- ance and was in accord with accepted forms. Some of the upper grade teaching lacks a discriminating appre- ciation of the difference between the teaching of the art of com- putation and of the logic of arithmetic applications wherein pupils must weigh the evidence, separate the relevant from the irrelevant, form judgments and arrive at solid conclusions. There is either a confusion of the two or a complete ignoring of the fact that there are two sides to the teaching of arithmetic. Classification is too prominent and reasoning by analogy is often used. These methods are not dependable and become worthless if the rule or case is forgotten. A saving of time could be effected by having new problems analyzed before they are worked. Too much time is wasted by pupils employing a cut and dry method to the exclusion of thought- ful analysis. The practice of having problems analyzed before the computation is made is also a great saving in time in that it is not then necessary that all the calculations be carried out. Another tendency which was observed is that many teachers are inclined to work with a very small group of pupils to the exclusion of the large majority. It is doubtful if pupils derive much benefit from seeing others work problems. Arithmetic is an active, self- expressive subject, and pupils gain in strength only through practice and by means of their own efforts. It would b'e desirable to plan the lessons so that a maximum opportunity for experience in com- putation is offered. If a maximum amount of work of this kind is accomplished during the recitation the most minute details of the work must be planned. The vitalizing of the work in the upper grades could easily be accomplished by more persistent supervision. By this means teachers could be brought to recognize and appreciate the general purpose for which arithmetic is taught and the specific aim of the work in each grade in which they teach. Geography Observations of the instruction in geography and an examination of the equipment in many of the schools show a marked variation in the development or the application of methods bv which the work REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM II5 in geography may be made more vital. It depends in part upon the initiative of the principal and the resourcefulness of the teachers, for it v^ill little matter how generously a school is supplied with illustrative material if this material is not used regularly and discriminatingly. The schools of Utica are usually equipped with an adequate supply of maps and supplementary readers but there are too few globes and these are too seldom used to give the children correct concepts of geographical relations. Each school should have at least one 18-inch suspended globe. Pictures, blackboard drawings and collections were found in abundance in some rooms but were lacking in others. Where these were seen the children were without exception interested in the study of geography. It took on the elements of human interest and of color quite apart from a mere study of the text. This" was especially true where the skilful teacher took advantage of the varied elements in the location of Utica, the Mohawk valley, the Deerfield hills in the distance, the gateway to the Adirondacks and of the diversified industries of the city to make geography seem real and vital. Indeed, some of the best recitations seen were concerned with the materials near at hand and it was chiefly when the topic was remote that the lack of illustrative material was most marked. Geography then became an abstract subject, and unless the teacher had within herself a fund of general information upon which to draw, the lesson was commonly bookish and perfunctory and the pupils unresponsive. A corrective for this is, first, to encourage the teachers to read more wisely and widely in order that they may have a better back- ground for the teaching of geography and of hfstory, and second, to use more largely the material which will make the teaching of geography more concrete. There is available in the office of the superintendent a full set of the Underwood slides which have not been used as they should. The University of the State of New York has in its Visual Instruction Division a rich mine of a valuable type of illustrative material. From this free source Utica does not seem to have drawn. The use of the stereopticon as an aid to visualization has not been generally encouraged. Of the twenty grammar schools in the city, only three have regularly availed themselves of the resources of the Visual Instruction Division of the State Department of Education. Under the four-week plan of this Division which provides slides for classroom instruction, the Il6 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK James Kemble School has had during the past year five shipments of 600 shdes, the Wetmore School, three shipments of 400 slides and School 19 two shipments of 200 slides. It is also recommended that the industrial and economic aspects of geography be more fully emphasized in the upper grades and that these be constantly related to the history given in these grades. Indeed, throughout the course there should be a closer correlation of geography and history so that the facts and principles of the one may explain the growth and development of the other. History The work in history in the elementary schools of the city of Utica is based upon the course of study framed by the committee of eight. This course is representative of the so-called " cycle " method of teaching history, alternating local and then general his- tory throughout the grades. This plan is regarded by some authori- ties as illogical and incoherent. Moreover, it fails almost wholly to emphasize the close relation which should exist between history and geography. Our own state syllabus in elementary United States history, with a larger stress upon our European beginnings, with a correct interpretation of our relations with England, and with a fuller development of community civics, is preferable. It is certain, however, that history is not as a rule well taught in the schools of Utica. The reason for this may be any one or all of the four following major causes:' 1 The course of study now in force may not be of the right type. 2 The teachers may not have had sufficient general preparation or special train' ng so that they could handle this course effectively. 3 The time and grade allotments may be so insufficient and so irregular that the results obtained from this course or from any course with similar allotments would be most unsatisfactory. 4 There may have been a lack of the careful supervision espe- cially essential in a subject which is sometimes outside the horizon of the average teacher. We are of the firm belief that the last three causes are directly responsible for most of the poor results. Conspicuous examples of excellent recitations much above the level of mediocrity showed that the well-informed and enthusiastic teacher could use the present course profitably. Our observations of such recitations showed that the subject was taught with spirit and enthusiasm, with coherence, logical development and command of illustrative material. In the REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM II7 lower grades there was usually interpretative reading of the text or visualization in story form. In the upper grades there was topical development in which the teacher sketched large topics or broad outlines which the pupils elaborated and completed. The most serious defect, hov/ever, vv^as in the organization of the work. An analysis of the daily programs indicates an unfortunate lack of uniformity or of system in the time and grade allotments. Some instruction in history and civics is doubtless given in the reading lessons and the time for this included in the reading period. There ought, however, to be a specific assignment of a history period, for it is usually true that v^^here no separate time allotment is shown for history in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades, the time given to reading in the sam^e grades is no longer there than that given to reading in similar grades where there is in addition a definite and adequate class period in history. There ought also to be a constant orientation of historic facts in their geographic settings so that the knowledge already acquired through the study of geography may be applied in the history lesson. This lack of uniformity both in organization and in methods of presentation is in a measure due to a lack of the necessary super- vision that vdll result in effective teaching. Where there is effective teaching it is because of the caliber of the teacher, not as a result of the method. There is also in some of the schools an insufficient use of material for making the past real. 'Pictures, maps and charts have their value in history, as in geography, as aids to visualization. The teaching of history in Utica can, therefore, be improved by intelligent supervision v/hich shall give greater attention to programs at the beginning of the year, and which shall establish a higher standard in aims, assignments and general procedure; in fine, a more exacting standard of daily performance. Drawing The following summary is based on information obtained by visi- tation of four schools (Kernan, Wetmore, Brandegee and No. 20), supplemented by inspection in the office of work done during the last school year. Grade work. Two supervisors of grade drawing are employed, one having general charge of the work in all grades, the other having direct responsibihty for the work in grades 1-4. Both of these Il8 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK teachers are graduates of Pratt Institute. There are eight depart- mental teachers and ten other teachers who give instruction in drawing in the grade schools under the direction of these super- visors. Most of these teachers are normal school graduates. They are listed as regular grade teachers, filling in with clerical work and in a few instances with instruction in music the time not actually- taken in the teaching of drawing in their respective schools. At present teachers meetings are more frequent than formerly, so that the supervisors are able to give greater assistance in methods of presenting work. The supervisor of primary drawing requires specimens of the work to be sent to the office each month by every departmental teacher. Specimens of work done in the more advanced grades are sent to the office from time to time but the greater part is left in the several buildings for exhibit or for other use. The attitude of the supervisors toward their work is excellent. They are well trained, enthusiastic and energetic, and they have the willing cooperation of their various assistants. Type and quality of work. In the primary grades the work out- lined in the syllabus is closely followed. Drawings are well done. The constructive work is excellent in character. In the intermediate and grammar grades, the work is far above the average. The chil- dren in these grades utilize objects which they are able to collect at little or no expense and decorate these, selling their work for the benefit of the Red Cross. In this way, at their sale before Christmas, they made between $200 and $300. The posters, which are related to community needs, are exceptionally well lettered and spaced. The interior decoration work, which is carried on from the fifth grade, has been well planned and should prove of "material help to the community. Emphasis has been placed upon the intelligent use of color in the home, good arrangement and simplicity, producing har- monious surroundings at a minimum of expense. Object drawing shows an understanding of the principles of perspective and an excellence of technic which in the eighth grades is almost on a level with elementary high school work. The work from these schools might be used to advantage to help other communities. Summary From what has been said concerning the course of study, daily programs, inspections by subjects and personal visitations of the class work, it would appear that the course of study is essentially REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM II9 that prescribed by the Elementary Syllabus of the State Department of Education, that this course, to be adequate to the needs of such a city as Utica, needs more continuous amplification, interpretation and enforcement, that the daily programs indicate a remarkable variation in time allotments given to major subjects, which springs, so far as can be determined, not from a central and well-grounded policy but from adventitious circumstances and which makes rea- sonably equal and continuous progress in these subjects throughout the system extremely improbable, that the subjects which form the backbone of the curriculum are fairly well taught as a whole but show avoidable extremes in good and poor teaching. It is therefore recommended, in the light of these circumstances, that more adequate supervision be provided for the inspiration and direction of the teaching energies of the schools. The course of study should be modernized in every subject in terms of the chang- ing world and should be quickened by thoughtful application of the vast and varied resources of Utica's own geographic, historic, economic and social situation. Particularly in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades it should be formulated with a view to helping boys and girls to find themselves. The daily programs should be formulated with a view to consistency in fixed subjects, such as spelling and mathematics, and to consistency with the local needs in such dynamic and flexible subjects as history and the mother tongue. Not only the content of and time given to the teaching are susceptible of very considerable improvement, but the methods of presentation, the planning of the work in detail and the careful measurement of results, grade by grade, and subject by subject, may probably be standardized and strengthened very significantly. To effect the improvements indicated here will call for vigorous and whole-hearted cooperation on the part of every human force in the Utica educational corps — superintendent, principals and teach- ers. The elementary teaching staff is a tremendously potential body, and what is suggested here is not an adverse criticism but a chal- lenge to better results and an indication of sources of difficulty and lines of improvement. Probably a committee of principals in conference with the superin- tendent and drawing upon the wisdom of able teachers, could study the facts presented and by comparison with the programs of other leading cities evolve a course of study sensitive in its details to the world changes of these days and adapted to the needs and conditions of the various sections of the city, and a time allotment which I20 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK would assure continuit}-, sane proportion and perspective and rea- sonably standardized results to the major subjects which now suffer embarrassment. While many wholesome regulations may be worked out on some such basis as this, it appears to the survey staff, however, that so large a system as Utica's, to secure the largest results, calls for a more elaborate and specialized supervision by subjects than now obtains. There should be developed a group of supervisors of major subjects who can help the elementary staff, with its fortunate balance of experience and youth, its sound nucleus of normal school training and its generally commendable and admirable professional spirit, to realize its highest powers for the boys and girls of the city of Utica. The old advanced school, later vocational school, no longer used for school purposes. To the left, the administration building, containing offices of the board of education and superintendent of schools. The Mandeville School One of the average buildings of the city. 8 THE HIGH SCHOOL The high school, known locally as the Utica Free Academy, has been the pride of the community for more than half a century. The rapid development of secondary education in the city is well illus- trated by the buildings now standing which have been used for high school purposes. The old Bleecker Street building erected in 1867 was the home of the Utica Free Academy until 1899 when a new building was erected on the present high school site. This building, reconstructed after a disastrous fire in 1909, and now serving as the south wing of the high school plant, was used until it became far too small to meet the high school needs, and the present large plant was erected in 191 7. Within this short period the growth of interest in high school work and rapid increase in population has made it difficult for the local school authorities to keep in advance of the physical and material needs of the school. The organization and administration of the high school is under the general direction of the high school principal. There are heads of departments in some subjects Vv^ho are responsible for the work in their particular field. Home-room teachers are responsible for the attendance record which is checked Vv^ith the class registers. It is the opinion of those who made the survey that the lack of a more definite plan of high school organization for the purpose of dealing with all questions relating to instruction, to general activities of the pupils, and to matters of discipline is unfortunate. A large city high school usually represents the supreme educational effort of the community ; for this reason as well as the fact that its membership is made up of a cosmopoHtan assembly of young people at a critical age of their development, its plan of organization is a vital factor in determining its success and its measure of service to the pupils and to the public. As the principal of the school was new and just beginning his service, it is possible that he had not had opportunity to develop his plans of organization. There was, hov^ever, an atmosphere in the school indicating a lack of positive and definite control. The courses of study offered in the high school are not definitely outlined. The only course outlined by years and presented in full in printed (typewritten) form is the commercial course. This course is in such form as to be clearly visuaHzed, and can therefore be readily discussed with the pupil or parent. It is undoubtedly much [121] 122 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK easier to point out the purpose and aim of a course of study when it is in pnnted or typewritten form. It would be of real service to pupils and parents if two or three additional typical courses were printed and were made available for their use in considering the high school work which will best meet their needs. There should, of course, be liberal electives giving every possible freedom of choice with reasonable adherence at the same time to the aim of the course in mind. If the work of the pupil is to function, it must center around a few subject groups on which his effort may be stressed rather than be scattered over a great many different subjects studied for a short period. Typical courses for college entrance, for entrance to engineering or technical schools, for industrial work, and for household economy, should be suggested as well as courses for commercial work. These would be especially helpful as the organization for the articulation of the elementary and secondary work is apparently weak, and pupils in the first year of high school find no provision by which during this critical period they are aided in meeting the special difficulties of the high school problems. To those who wish to pursue general courses little aid is given. The work that should be carried by the pupil looking toward college is quite easily outlined. The colleges have not failed to keep these routes well marked. There is little danger of losing one's direction if college is the aim. However, the large mass of pupils are in high school for another purpose and they should be given constructive and helpful advice as to the work which will best fit them for later activities. The high school principal invites pupils and parents to come to him if they wish advice as to the selection of high school subjects. This attitude is to be commended. It does not meet the situation, however, for two reasons : the high school is too large for this to be done personally by the principal for all pupils, and it is essential that such advice and help be given by one who is in frequent and close contact with the boys and girls. In a high school of iioo pupils there is need of group advisors whose function it should be to discuss earnestly and freely with the pupils of the group their individual needs and other general matters related to their school activities. The only regulation as to work to be followed is covered by the statement printed on the back of the individual program cards: "Requirement for graduation — 15 school counts, including three REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I23 years of English,^ one year of history, two years of mathematics, one year of science." For the purpose of determining the work selected by the pupils the individual programs were analyzed with some care. The subjects which are being studied generally by the first year high school pupils are English, general science or biology, algebra, Latin, bookkeeping, commercial arithmetic, drawing, and domestic science. There are two main groups of these studies as follows : First group Second group English English Science Science Algebra Commercial arithmiCtic Latin Bookkeeping From the 245 first year programs analyzed it appears that all pupils take English and with few exceptions science is taken by all. In first year Latin there are 65 girls and 73 boys ; in algebra, there are 85 girls and 105 boys. In bookkeeping there are 82 girls and 60 boys, while in commercial arithmetic the number is 64 girls and 65 boys. Mechanical drawing is in the schedule of 30 first year boys, and 12 first year girls are taking domestic science. None of the programs shows that any provision is made for physical training for boys or girls. The study of a modern foreign language can not be begun until the second year of the high school course. The analysis of the pupils' programs in the second, third and fourth years only confirm what is observed in the first year. English is taken by all pupils. The commercial work continues popular. The registration in the other languages, particularly Latin, indicates that college preparatory work is being followed. There are no shops for manual training. Woodworking is not offered in any form. Metal work and forging, which would appeal to many boys, are not provided. With the discontinuing of the vocational school no provision was made for carrying on work of this character, although space had been provided for industrial work in the high school building. The beginnings made in manual training in the grades do not lead anywhere. The high school offers little oppor- tunity for the boy who is motor-minded. With a first year regis- tration of approximately 180 girls in the Utica High School, 12 are found in the domestic science course. Domestic science, which ^ Now four years. 124 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK normally interests a large proportion of the girls, is given in the programs of onh^ 50 in the entire school. In this connection the following statement ^ from the report of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondaiy Education is of interest : In the education of every high school girl, the household arts should have a prominent place because o£ their importance to the girl herself and to others whose welfare will be directly in her keeping. The attention now devoted to this phase of education is inadequate, and especially so for girls preparing for occupations not related to the household arts and for girls planning for higher institutions. The majority of girls who enter wage- earning occupations directly from the high school remain in them for only a few years, after which homemaking becomes their lifelong occupation. For them the high school period offers the only assured opportunity to pre- pare for that lifelong occupation, and it is during this period that they are most likely to form their ideals of life's duties and responsibilities. As a cosmopolitan high school in an industrial city with a large foreign population, it appears that the Utica High School falls far short of meeting the. needs of the community. This situation in the high school will not he solved until the whole program of work for the seventh, eighth and ninih {first year high school) years has been given careful and detailed study for the purpose of reorganizing the work in terms of community and individual needs. English The English faculty of the Free Academy numbers ten, of whom nine are women. Eight of the group are collegians, one a normal school graduate with further work in schools of recognized rank, and another a high school graduate with additional training in three great universities and travel abroad. Ages- range from 26 to 63, with a median age of 35 ; six of the teachers are between 30 and 40, two below and two above that span. The range of experience is from 5 to 38 years; the median experience is 10 years. One teacher is paid $950, two $1000 one $1100 and five $1150. The department chairman receives $1850. Evidently, then, the English teachers, generally speaking, are well trained, of mature age and experience, and are paid salaries fairly typical of schools in Utica's class. This is a veteran department, from which good work may be expected. If there is any danger to be guarded against, it would seem to be the falling into depart- mental ruts. With such a group, continued growth should be 1 Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education. U. S. Bureau of Education, Bui. 35, 1918. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I25 assured by vital, stimulating supervision, by changing the teachers from grade to grade and within the grade, by variant subject matter, and by putting a premium, financial and promotional, upon improve- ment in service, travel and graduate work. Only five of the teachers have done summer school work or otherwise refreshed their scholar- ship since entering their profession. That the group is eager to grow, however, is evidenced by their active participation in pro- fessional meetings and by their initiative in organizing last year a council of English teachers, meeting quarterly, intended to serve as a clearing house of professional stimulus and growth for Utica and surrounding territory. Inspection indicated that the teaching personnel of the department was for the most part good, although it is uneven and could be strengthened in places. Teaching conditions were good; the average size of classes was 25, the average total enrolment to a teacher, loo, the number of teaching hours daily, 4. The teachers have been given a fair chance to do good work. The speed and accuracy with which pupils in the Utica Free Academy are able to secure thought from the printed page were tested by the use of the Kansas Silent Reading Test. The median scores obtained are compared below v/ith the standard medians secured by the use of this test in a great many schools throughout the country. Attainment in silent reading Kansas silent reading test . Year Utica Free Academy Standard 9 21.5 22.9 10 25.01 25.6 11 25.87 26.S 12 27.73 29.7 The attainment in written composition was measured by the use of the Nassau County Supplement to the Hillegas Scale for Measur- ing the Quality of Composition. Pupils were asked to write for twenty minutes on a theme — " How I could spend Ten Dollars to give the Greatest Pleasure to Five People." The themes thus secured were then rated by means of the scale above mentioned. Each theme was rated three times by members of the English department. No one of the raters knew the grades assigned by Attainment in composition Nassau county supplement to Hillegas scale Utica Free Academy Medians in s6 other high schools 545 S.I8^ 5-94 5-88 6.15 6.14 6.6 6.6 . 126 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK the Others. The average grade earned was assigned as the value of the theme. The medians by years are compared below with the medians attained in fifty-six other high schools : Year 9 10 II 12 In studying the comparative attainments in silent reading and composition it should be remembered that the standard scores rep- resent the median secured by the use of these tests in many schools. The results in Utica are very close to the standard median, in silent reading a little below and in composition, a little above. In other words, these records or attainments show average results. With teaching conditions such as they are the instruction and results should be above the average. Every effort should be put forth to secure instruction, not of average, but of superior grade. Ancient Languages Of the six teachers in ancient languages, four are college grad- uates who had Latin as their major work. Two of the four had been graduated from normal schools before entering college. The other two teachers are normal school graduates and have had several years' experience in grade teaching. In their present positions they are teaching classes in first year Latin only. The number of years' experience ranges from 7 to 48, and the average for the six teachers is 16^2 years. The following classes were visited in connection with the prepara- tion of this report : Latin first year, three classes ; Latin second year, three classes ; Latin third year, two classes ; Latin fourth year, two classes ; Greek second year, one class ; Greek third year, one class. The conditions are generally favorable for successful work. The six teachers devote their time exclusively to instructing classes in Latin and Greek. Two of these instruct five classes each daily, and four have four classes each daily. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 127 The maximum number of pupils in any class is 30. The average number in each of the Latin classes is shown by the following table : Table 14 Enrolment in Latin classes SUBJECT ENROLMENT NUMBER OF CLASSES MAXIMUM NUMBER IN CLASS AVERAGE NUMBER IN CLASS Latin i 192 138 69 44 9 7 4 3 30 28 27 17 21 + 20 — Latin 2 Latin 3 17 + 15— Latin 4 Total . . . . ' 443 23 19 + There are four pupils in the class in first year Greek, eight in the second year class, and four in that of the third year. There is no departmental organization. The assignment of work to the six teachers is as follows : Latin i 2 teachers Latin 2 and 3 2 teachers Latin 2, 3 and 4 i teacher Latin 4, and Greek i teacher The fact that there is no department head is one reason for some lack of accord that was noted in the amount of reading required of different classes in the same half year. In the second, third and fourth year classes there was greater divergence than is usual in the character and amount of collateral work required of pupils. Much more attention is given in some classes than in others to the oral reading of the text in class with a view to training in understanding and appreciation of the authors whose works are studied. As might be expected from the training of the teachers, the skill in planning and presenting subject matter is less marked in the first year than in the more advanced classes. Latin is the only foreign language that is begun in the first year of high school. Modern foreign languages are not offered in the course until the second year. Latin is offered as a first year subject for all pupils who are looking forward to college or technical school. This explains in part the fact that over one-third of the pupils are registered in the Latin classes. 128 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Modern Languages There are five teachers in the modern language department, four of whom are college graduates. One of these specialized in French in college. Three of the four have had a summer course in modern languages. The fifth teacher is a graduate of the Utica Free Academy, has had some training under a French teacher, and has taught in Utica 37 years. All the teachers except one have had experience in other schools, and the range of experience is from 5 to 37 years. The work in modern languages consists of French, German and Spanish. Two teachers devote all their time to French, and one other teacher takes two classes in elementary French; one teacher devotes all her time to German, and some classes are taught by two other teachers ; there are only two elementary classes in Spanish. The modern language work is not organized as a department. Each teacher follows her own plan of work, although there is some consultation between teachers who happen to have the same grade of work. The teachers appear to be fairly well prepared for their work as far as knowledge of subject matter is concerned. One teacher, however, who for some years was " general substitute " and who has been employed more recently in the commercial department, is now assigned to the teaching of French and German. Her knowl- edge of these subjects is not what might reasonably be expected in a large and important school. In other words, the teaching staff in the modern language work is not strong. It does not seem to measure up to the high standard of scholarship, personality and teaching ability usually found in the better secondary schools. The instruction in French is poor. The work as observed in three classes consisted of the dry drill of grammar lessons. The home work (translation of English sentences into French) was poorly, not to say slovenly, done in pencil, poorly corrected in class, with no evidence of interest on the part of the pupils. The teacher was lacking in technic as well as in class management. The instruction in German is little better than in French. The one teacher who gives all her time to the teaching of German is efficient in the teaching of grammar but there were no evidences that the pupils were being taught the language. Another teacher, German and French, has an inadequate knowledge of the languages and has no technic whatever. Her method consisted of grammatical exercises poorly done — without knowledge of forms on the part REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 12g of the pupils and without drill from the teacher. It was very evident that the pupils did not know their lesson when they came to class and that they learned little worth while in class. The work in modern languages should be organized into a depart- ment with a department head. He should be a man who knows French thoroughly and has some acquaintance with German and Spanish, The department should be strengthened as changes are made in the teaching staff. History The department of history of the Utica Free Academy is in charge of four teachers, all of whom are college graduates with records of successful experience as teachers in the secondary schools in this State. The head of the department had history as the major subject of his college course and two of his assistants have taken graduate work in this field in various summer schools. These teachers have had an average teaching experience of ii years, 8 of which have been in general secondary work and 3 have been in the special field of history. It appears, therefore, that in general professional train- ing and in the character and quality of special experience, this corps of teachers compares f a;vorably with the teachers in the other depart- ments in this school. The head of the department has in addition served as principal of one of the grammar schools in the city of Utica and as a result of that service has some familiarity with the problems of the grade teachers of history and some appreciation of the quality and character of work which younger pupils can do. The instruction observed was generally of a satisfactory character. With the exception of one teacher whose field of interest evidently was not historical, the teaching was much above the average. Con- stant effort was made to relate the past to the present and the subject of history was vitalized by references to the problems of today. This was in part accomplished by the daily use of current magazines and recent historical literature. The pupils were encouraged to read widely and the range and quality of this supplementary material was commendable. As a result the students of history in the classes observed show a real interest in the subject. The school authorities should take advantage of the interest which has been awakened among the pupils and the emphasis which the world war has placed upon historical study materially to enlarge the history requirements in this school. These at present seem limited and it would be advisable to require at least two years of history, one of which 130 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK should be, of course, American history, as a prerequisite for gradua- tion from this institution. In table 15 is given in subject groups the number of pupils in the present senior class who have had history, science, mathematics etc. during their high school course. It will be noted that 113 or 70 per cent of the class have had only one year of instruction in history; that 37 or 22 per cent of the class have had two years of history and that only 5 per cent of the class have had more than two years of history. A similar study made for the schools of Binghamton shows that all the present senior class have had history for one year ; that 96 per cent of the class have had history for two years ; and that 60 per cent of the class have had history for three or more years. Table 15 Registration of senior classes, June and January, 161 4 yrs. 3 yrs. 2 yrs. i yr. History o Science o Mathematics o Ancient languages 24 Modem languages 3 English 106 There is need of a required course of study in the field of history and social science which should be continuous for a period of at least two years with a maximum of three years. If such a program were initiated the amount of time given to this field by the individual pupil would more nearly accord with the practice which obtains in the more progressive high schools. The result of the situation portrayed by these statistics is that the present staff is adequate, the number of periods each teacher has is normal and the average class registration is commendably small. For the first term of the present year, two of the teachers had four classes and two had five classes each and the average registration in these classes was 18 pupils. In the second term, the average periods taught by the teachers were four and the average class registration was 21. With additional emphasis placed upon the subject through increased requirements and the awakened interest in the field of civics, it may be necessary to increase the teaching staff. When this is done, the head of the department should be given sufficient time to perform the duties which devolve upon him as the director of such an important sector of school activities. He ought to have 8 37 113 12 52 95 20 105 22 32 49 7 12 68 38 55 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I3I sufficient freedom from actual classroom work to enable him to visit the classes of his assistants frequently, to advise with them and with their pupils with respect to their work, to establish points of contact with other related fields and to bring into closer harmony the elementary and the secondary instruction in history. Science The science work in the Utica Free Academy is taught by four men and three women, all college graduates, all having had success- ful experience in high school science teaching in this State before election to their present positions. The head of the department is a man under 40 years of age, who has had in addition to his college work, college courses at the University of Munich and at Princeton. His efforts are not limited to the instruction of his own classes but his interest in the work of the other students in science is keen and his supervision of the efforts of his assistant teachers is helpful. The rooms and equipment for all the present science work are located in the old wing of the building and are reasonably sufficient. Since the vacating of rooms in the old part of the building, plans are being made to enlarge and perfect the accommodations by fitting up a general science lecture room to seat possibly 200 and by the enlarging of laboratory facilities. A full year is given to the courses in physics, chemistry and physical geography. Recitations, laboratory work and notebooks indicate that satisfactory work is being done. Physics is begun in September and in January. There are two sections of pupils for each term's work. The beginners are taught by the head of the department while those pursuing the second half of the course are taught by an assistant. Each teacher cares for his own pupils in the laboratory. The sections are not unreasonably large. Chemistry is begun in September and in January, but as the num- ber of pupils taking this subject is fewer than the number taking physics, all are accommodated in three sections, two beginning in September and one beginning in January. The instructor has had a year of postgraduate work at Cornell and has attended lectures at Cornell during eight summers. He is deeply interested in his subject and is possessed of ability as a teacher. The pupils in physical geography are all accommodated in one section. The teacher, a graduate of Syracuse University in 1907, secured his master's degree in science from the same institution in 132 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 191 2 and has spent two seasons in the Vermont State Geological Survey. He has taught high school science for 10 years. The per cent of the whole number of pupils registered in the academy pursuing each of these three sciences is somewhat higher than the corresponding average for the entire State. In view of these facts it is believed that the work in physics, chemistry and physical geography is in a satisfactory condition. In the place of biology, which is not taught, a local course in first year science, originated and developed tmder the intelligent and enthusiastic supervision of the head of the science department, has reached a degree of success possibly in advance of that of any other first year science course in the State. The syllabus has been approved by the State Department. To accommodate the pupils eighteen sections are organized, ten beginning in September and eight in January. One is taught by the head of the department and one by the teacher of chemistry. The remaining sixteen sections are assigned four to each of four teachers, one man and three women, all well fitted for their work. As the course includes both biological and physical science, the work of each teacher was seen and the notebooks examined by the Department specialists in both branches. The time devoted to the subject is seven recitation periods weekly, usually five for recitation and two for laboratory work. From the observations of the classroom instruction, of the labora- tory work and the notebooks kept by the pupils, it would appear that the work is in a very satisfactory condition. It is quite possible that in the reorganization of the courses of study which may result from a study of the possibilities of the development of the inter- mediate school or junior high school, a course in general science will be evolved which will be given to the pupils of the eighth and ninth years so that the course will carry through two years instead of one year as is now being done. This will undoubtedly give the opportunity for a stronger and better balanced course than can pos- sibly be given in one year. Such a course would function as a preparation for all science study in the high school. Commercial Subjects Utica was one of the first cities in New York State to provide for regular high school instruction in commercial subjects. The industrial and commercial interests of the city, which were early established and which have since been greatly extended, require a Deerheld School No. 2 A larger school is needed in this locality. School 21 Elected in 1895. A fair building for that period. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 133 constantly larger number of trained office workers. In response to this demand the registration in commercial subjects has steadily increased. An indication of the growth of the commercial work in the past six years alone is found in the fact that the teaching staff at present consists of seven teachers, while in September 191 1, the work required the services of only three. The registration by sub- jects as reported in January 1918 is shown in the following table: Table 16 Registration in commercial subjects SUBJECTS TOTAL ENROLMEIW Elementary bookkeeping Advanced bookkeeping Business arithmetic Business writing Commercial law Shorthand i Shorthand 2 Typewriting Commercial arithmetic and penmanship ^ 181 74 99 44 26 66 28 100 152 1 A course given in first year as a preparation for the study of bookkeeping. Out of an enrolment of 1056 pupils, 411 pupils, or 38.9 per cent of the total, were registered in one or more commercial subjects. Prior to 191 3, commercial subjects were listed as electives in the high school curriculum. In May 1913, however, a regular course of study in commercial subjects was adopted and a department organ- ized with a department head in charge. Rooms and equipment. Good classrooms and suitable equipment are provided for the work of the department. Seven classrooms located on the same corridor in the new part of the building are assigned to the commercial classes. In addition, a smaller room is set aside for use as a department office. The special equipment consists of 207 commercial desks of an approved type, 40 typewriters of different makes, each typewriter being set in a drop cabinet, one rotary neostyle, vertical file cabinets and an outfit of office and banking fixtures designed for business practice. The department has the use of a stereopticon. A small collection of industrial and commercial products is also available for class use in commercial geography. 134 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK While the immediate needs of the department are thus well pro- vided for, as the work continues to develop additions to the present equipment will be necessary. At this time it is recommended that a billing machine and a dictaphone be added to the typewriting equipment. It is also suggested that a full set of trade and com- mercial maps, including a blackboard outUne map of the United States, be purchased for the work in commercial geography. An effort should also be made to build up a departmental library of reference books, government publications, booklets and folders of various kinds, clippings and the like. Centrally located in the department office, such a collection of working material will be available for both teachers and pupils. Course of study. The course of study adopted in 191 3 and still in force is given below : 'FIRST YEAR PERIODS SECOND YEAR PERIODS English 4 English 5 Elementary bookkeeping. ... 5 Bookkeeping (elementary or Commercial arithmetic and advanced) 5 penmanship 5 Business arithmetic 5 Biology or algebra 5 Business writing 5 Biology or algebra S THIRD YEAR PERIODS FOURTH YEAR PERIODS English 5 English 4 Bookkeeping (elementary or Stenography or typewriting. 10 advanced) S Foreign language 5 Office practice 2 American history with civics 5 Stenography and typewriting 10 Foreign language 5 Commercial law 2^ Commercial geography 2}4 Geometry 5 Several modifications in this course as outlined above suggest themselves. In the first place, an undue proportion of time is allotted to commercial and business arithmetic and penmanship, or business writing. It seems unnecessary to give each of these subjects, for the work prescribed, what is the equivalent of five periods a week for three semesters. Again, the course does not differentiate clearly the requirements for the commercial and the secretarial pupils. Provision should also be made for advanced subjects in the fourth year for pupils who desire to specialize further in commercial work. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 135 An outline of a course meeting these criticisms and embodying several other desirable features is given below and is recommended for adoption. The number of counts assigned to each subject rep- resents also the minimum number of recitations a week to be pre- scribed m that subject. It may be necessary, however, in certain instances to increase this time allotment in order to cover the work. T^ZZl ''^''^ ''°''''^' '^^°^° ^^^^ COUNTS ^"f^h 4 English 4 Biology or general science. . 5 Bookkeepingi . ! Commercial arithmetic 5 Typewriting (5 periods")' .' .' ." .' ^V. aXr'"^"^'"^ ^ ^'^^bra 5 2 Commercial geography 2j^ THIRD YEAR COMMERCIAL ^ ,. SECRETARIAL 1"!^'^ 4 English 4 ^^t,.'"^ •. 3 History ^ Bookkeeping 2 5 Shorthand i Z ^^^^^^^^^' 5 Electives^ 5 COMMERCIAL FOURTH YEAR SECRETARIAL Business English 4 Business English . . American history 5 American history. . . . .' ^ Commercial law ^H Shorthand 2\ . . , 5;^°"°"^^" 2 Electives« ... Z Electives* c I Shorthand i may be substituted. » Shorthand r included. » Bookkeeping 2 included. «TraSk.tion1.'^^"if ^ accounting and business organization included. « Wtarkl ?,r«nHn J^K^'*^^ ^""^ ^* ^^'? ^'^° periods a week required, becretanal practice, business organization, commercial law and ecoSimics included. It should be noted that this course provides for three classes of pupils : first, those who desire a full course in either one of the two mes of business training; second, those who for some reason must leave high school before graduation but who wish to take as much commercial work as they can with profit; third, those who are pre- paring to take a course in commerce and finance in a higher institu- tion. Pupils registered for general high school work may, of course choose any of the commercial subjects as electives Instruction. For the immediate purpose of preparing this section of the report, a statement of training and experience was obtained from each teacher and the classroom work of each was observed for at least one recitation, although the records of previous inspec- tions of the work of the several teachers were consulted to confirm the conclusions reached. 136 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Seven teachers, including the head of the department, constitute the teaching force. Of these, two are college trained, two are normal school graduates and three are high school graduates. With one exception, the teachers have had special courses in commercial train- ing as well as in methods of commercial teaching. They have all taken advantage of summer school opportunities now afforded for commercial teachers. Four have had actual business experience. The teaching experience ranges from 5 years to 26 years ; five have taught commercial subjects for 5 years or more. One teacher, who has had no special preparation in commercial work, according to the statement of the superintendent of schools, is assigned tem- porarily to the department until a position more suitable is available. The following comments on the teaching and teaching methods have no reference to the work of this teacher. Teachers showed evidence of good preparation in their particular subjects. With the exception of the department head, teachers are assigned not more than three subjects, one of which is penmanship. The department head teaches four subjects, in which penmanship is included. Two teachers have only one subject each. The teachers have made good use of the opportunity thus provided for specializa- tion. Their progressive spirit is also shown in the methods of teaching employed. Such recent developments in commercial teach- ing practice, as for example, the class method of recitation in book- keeping and typewriting instruction, are in use. The recitations observed were well conducted. The teachers generally practised good classroom economy. In the case of one recitation in commercial arithmetic, however, a good deal of time was wasted in getting under way. Too much time was spent in checking the prepared work and later while a number of pupils were busy at the blackboard the rest of the class sat idle in their seats. This single instance prompts the general suggestion that in business training the development of business habits is of the utmost importance. The teacher, by the manner in which he conducts his class work, may accomplish indirectly what the business man is inclined to regard of primary importance in the training of oflfice workers. As a rule, a distinct purpose in the recitation was evident and in most instances was carried out to good effect. Pupils by their responses indicated a grasp of the subject covered to that point and an intelligent interest in the work in hand. Departmental organization. As referred to elsewhere, the com- mercial department is organized with a department head in charge. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 37 However, with four teaching periods daily, his opportunity for supervision and direction is Umited. Department meetings of teachers are held monthly ; subject conferences are called as occasion may require. His teaching schedule should be reduced to not exceeding fifteen periods a week, in order that he may devote more time to the work of supervision and the other duties of his position. Stated briefly, these duties are as follows : 1 To supervise the work of the department as a whole, more especially the teaching, and to advise and consult with teachers regarding their own particular subjects; to hold conferences regu- larly for the discussion of the special problems of the department. 2 To act in an advisory capacity to the commercial pupils and especially to the pupils who, upon entering the academy, need intelli- gent direction in the election of their courses. 3 To work out schemes of correlation within the department and between his own department on the one hand and the other depart- ments of the school and the business community on the other; to develop a scheme of cooperative work whereby pupils may receive practical training in the technical commercial subjects. 4 To make a study of the business conditions in the city and the prevailing practice in the different phases of office work, with a view to modifying the subject matter when such modification becomes advisable. The department head should be the point of contact between the school and the business community. 5 To keep a careful department record of the progress and standing of each commercial pupil and to take charge of vocation records showing the names of pupils entering business positions and the character of employment secured. Graduates of the department should be followed up systematically to determine, among other things, whether or not the work of the high school is properly adapted to business needs. Finally, a stronger department spirit among the commercial pupils should be developed. Without detracting in any way from the unity of school spirit existing in the academy, a department that registers 411 out of 1056 pupils in a special field should have among the pupils a feeling of fellowship in a common purpose. One method of bringing this about is by means of holding regular assemblies of commercial pupils, in which discussions of current business and commercial problems, debates on similar topics, talks by business men, and the like should make the meetings both interesting and profitable. Contests and exhibits held occasionally would also help to encourage this department spirit. Furthermore, pupils who are 138 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK graduated from the commercial course should receive the regular academy diploma, with the special designation " in commercial subjects." They should also be encouraged to qualify for the state credentials in commercial subjects. Drawing The drawing department in the academy has been greatly dis- turbed this year owing to the resignation and consequent changes of all save one teacher. There is no department head. The teacher of design is a graduate of Syracuse University in the design course and has had summer work at Columbia and the Berkshire summer school. She is ranked as an assistant teacher. All her classes in drawing meet five periods a week each term. There are 41 pupils registered for elementai-y design, 11 for advanced design and 17 for special advanced work. This gives the teacher four regular periods with one conference period during which pupils who have been absent or who are unable to meet with the regular classes may have help. Her work is excellent, showing decided improvement during the last two years. There is sufficient difference between the work of the boys and girls to hold their interest. The home center is the one generally studied although there is sufficient breadth to the course so that the boys are given posters. In advanced design, there are three general centers of interest — the home or interior decoration, costume design and design for printing, including folders, catalog covers and posters. Individual pupils in these classes have sold their designs to the Ladies Home Journal and to local firms, in this way earning $58 during the past year. Work in representation has been done by a graduate of Pratt Institute (1917) normal art and manual training department. She is ranked as a substitute teacher. Considering this teacher's lack of experience, she is doing remarkably well. Her weakness is in regard to technic in the intermediate and advanced courses. To correct defects in her preparation she might profitably take summer school work where she would have further practice in light and shade and in color. The teacher of representation also has two classes in elementary mechanical drawing. In view of its close relation to the technical courses, this field of instruction will doubtless be transferred to the teacher of advanced mechanical drawing. The man who has the classes in the latter subject is also teaching manual training in the grades three periods a day. Readjustments in assignments will accordingly make it possible for REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 39 him to devote his time exclusively to instruction in mechanical drawing. The last named instructor is a recent graduate of the State College for Teachers. He has come to the school so recently that no estimate of his work can be made at the present time. The equipment as a whole is excellent. There is need, however, of filing cases in which reference material and work done by former classes may be kept without injury. Mathematics The department of mathematics is organized under the general direction of a department head with five assistant teachers. The work being given at the time of the survey included elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, advanced algebra, plane geometry, solid geometry, and trigonometry. Four of the department staff are college graduates, only one having had graduate work. Two of the teachers are normal school graduates. Two of the staff are members of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics of the Middle States and Maryland. The average experience of these teachers is ten years, of which four years have been in schools outside of Utica and six years have been in the Utica schools. The number of classes per teacher is four, one instructor having five classes daily. The average number of pupils per class varies from 17 to 27. The department head gives one period each day to supervision. In general it may be said that the mathematics department is strong. The teachers have had successful experience, they are competent, and the work is being well done. This does not mean that all features are uniformly satisfactory, but under the direction of the department head it is well supervised and the generally favorable conditions should produce satisfactory results. Reaction of the Student Body The consensus of opinion of the student body as to the manner in which the course of study functions probably gives a reasonably fair index as to the work of the school in meeting the community needs. Such a reaction from the pupils is of special interest in connection with the reports of specialists and other educational experts. In order to secure such a statement a blank form was used on which a number of questions were asked regarding the pupils' work, daily programs and other school activities. A copy of this form was supplied to each pupil. Through the cordial cooperation of the principal and the home-room teachers, this was put into the hands of the individual pupils. The teachers were asked to make clear to the 140 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK pupils that they should state freely their thought regarding the school in its relation to them. It was made clear that the value of the information to be given depended upon a frank expression of their real convictions and the pupils were assured that the state- ments which they might make would not react against them in any way. The number of pupils who filled out the blank was 950. It was thought that the information which has been gathered in this way from the student body is reliable and provides a safe basis for drawing certain general conclusions. It is of greater value possibly because it is entirely free from pedagogical bias. Without question it emphasizes some vital features of the high school activities. The questions on the form used were as follows : Name Age How many years have you spent in the Utica Free Academy? How many years have you spent in any other high school ? Of what class are you now a member ? Daily program of studies Name : (o) any subjects which you are now repeating (fe) any subjects which you have repeated (c) any subjects which you have repeated more than once. In what subject or subjects are j^ou especially interested? In what special high school activities do you take part (i. e. debating, athletics etc. ) ? What feature of the school life is of the greatest help to you? In your judgment should the school offer you any further activities or courses of study? If so, state your reasons fully What are you planning to do after completing your high school work?. The individual courses of study as given by the pupils on these forms have been discussed earlier in the chapter. One of the questions on the form given to the pupils was : " In what subject or subjects are you especially interested?" The answers are .given in tabular form. The replies were given by 348 first year pupils, 240 second year pupils, 196 third year pupils, and 166 fourth year pupils. As the pupils frequently mentioned more than one subject the replies in many cases total more than the number of pupils. It may be observed that the strength of the commercial work in the school is evident from its relative rank in these tables. It is the second in the. group for each year except the fourth where it is third. It may be stated, therefore, that as a group the commercial subjects are popular and are of special interest to a large percentage of high school pupils. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 141 iv :a P< w =1 M o. <, 4) H ^ 10 r*^ ro fo 00 N I O >/1 t~ t^ 10 ro . ■SM-^ H fe o " s S--' S kS O i L3 « ta ° 5 ltd o g. 00 0\vO O\00 O 10 O fO M I t^vC lO^ri-rOM 01 M M :'o4s-5 3 M 000 rooco OiOvr^row POCi m 10 CO eooo vO fO c §s CJ ^-H g S o ta CO . .2 S Sf*3 rt rt 3 g "S S *^ -^ • 142 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK English, which is required of all pupils for three years,^ is the highest in rank as determined by this table. In the school as a whole 340 pupils mention English as one of the subjects in which they are especially interested. Several mention particularly the work in oral English. The special interest in science in the first year is undoubtedly due not only to the natural interest of many young people in the subject but also to the excellent course that is offered. It is observed, how- ever, that this interest is immediately lost as science has dropped from the first to the eighth position in the table for the second year pupils. In the third year science ranks as number five among the subjects of special interest, and in the fourth year it is in the second position. As has been stated before, Latin is the only foreign language offered in the first year and is, therefore, in a sense prescribed for a large group of first year pupils. Its rank in the table is, therefore, relatively high in the first year, number 4 in the group. In the second year it is seventh in rank. Of the first year pupils one in four mentions Latin as a subject of special interest; of the second year pupils it is mentioned by one pupil in eight. In the third and fourth years Latin is in eighth position. In other words, it seems to hold its relative position well in the last two years, probably with those who are making definite use of it for college entrance. Modern languages, which are begun in the Utica High School in the second year, are popular, ranking third in the interest of the pupils in the second year, dropping to fourth position in the third year. This decline continues, and in the fourth year modern lan- guages are only one position above the Latin. While the work in these courses seems to begin with enthusiasm in the second year it falls rapidly in interest during the last two years of the high school work. The position of drawing in the taWe is consistent. It is sixth, sixth, seventh and fifth, in the first, second, third and fourth years respectively. This includes all work such as representation and design, mechanical drawing, and other courses in drawing. The work is well done and apparently holds in popularity throughout the high school course. As history is not offered as a first year subject, any special mention of the subject by the first year pupils is not to be expected. In the 1 The English requirement has been advanced to four years since the report was prepared. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 143 second year it ranks fifth, in the third year sixth, and in the fourth year sixth. It does not show the strength with the pupils which might be expected of a subject of such dynamic interest. The other subjects mentioned by the pupils need be mentioned only briefly. Domestic science is apparently of little interest to the girls in the school. This may be due to lack of proper equipment for carrying on the work. That the work would be more popular if suitable provision were made is evident from the statements of the high school girls. The tables also show the absence of any technical or industrial shopwork. The reaction of the boys regarding this matter is outlined later in the chapter. As has been said, the table which has been explained briefly is based on the statements of the pupils. It is of interest to compare the facts shown by the table with the observations of the specialists as outlined by departments and with the general conclusions on the high school wofk. This is mentioned here merely for the purpose of directing attention to the unusual agreement in the conclusions which may be drawn from these different sources. Special Activities The information available as to the special activities in which the pupils take part indicates that no adequate provision has been made for these interests. The question which was asked relative to this matter was as follows : " In what special high school activities do you take part (i. e. debating, athletics etc.)?" The significant fact is that the student body is not actively inter- ested in these features of the high school life. The number of pupils who either give no answer or state " none " is as follows : Table 18 Pupils taking no part in special activities FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR THIRD YEAR FOURTH YEAR TOTAL Total number pupils answering questionnaire . 348 240 196 166 950 Not answered 138 144 98 70 38 72 51 43 32s Answer " none " 329 Total 282 168 no 94 6S4 ^ 144 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK These replies of the pupils indicate that over two-thirds of the student body take no part in the special activities of the school life such as debating, athletics or other features of this character. The activities which appear more popular than others are athletics, glee club, orchestra and debating. The total number of pupils taking part in these activities is given in the following table : Table 19 Number taking part in four special activities FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR THIRD YEAR FOURTH YEAR TOTAL Athletics 20 II 10 7 16 8 9 20 5 21 15 22 4 12 16 78 28 Orchestra Glee Club 70 47 Debating Total ; 48 60 61 54 223 The other special school interests mentioned by the pupils are few and scattered. Occasional reference is made to the Lower House of Congress, the literary societies, the school paper, the girls' club, and other social organizations. Notwithstanding the existence of these several organizations, it is very clear that the student body is not largely represented in these and other activities which are in so many schools an important factor in the school life and contribute in large measure to the development of a strong school spirit. Features of Greatest Help Throughout the four years the English work is one of the features of the school life of greatest help to the pupils. In the first year, oral English is mentioned by 89 pupils, public speaking by 58, and English by 34 as the feature of greatest help. This group as a whole is mentioned by 181 pupils. Of the second year pupils, 18 mention English, 15 mention oral English, and 3 the English class paper. Although not so marked an expression in favor of English as in the first year yet it is the largest among the second year groups. The English work in the third and fourth years is regarded by a large group as a feature of the school life of greaf help to them. Oral English is specifically mentioned by many as of special value, REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 145 Commercial subjects are regarded as of special value by a group of 30 pupils in the first year and 21 pupils in the second year. Only 3 pupils, hov/ever, in the third year regard the subject as a feature of special help. This may be due in part to the fact that many pupils in the commercial course leave school by the end of the second year. The other features of school life which are of greatest help most frequently mentioned by pupils are the assemblies and 'assembly talks, social life and associations, fellowship, moral training and discipline, athletics and physical training and many others which may illustrate the diversified and cosmopolitan character of the com- munity. From the statements of the pupils it is apparent that several features of school work that would be of great help to them individ- ually and to the school as an organization are not offered. Suggestions as to Other Activities or Other Courses of Study The question next to the last, " In your judgment should the school offer you any further activities or courses of study? If so, state your reasons fully," affords the pupil an opportunity to give free expression to any suggestions as to the work of the school. An analysis of the answers to this question shows an astounding unanimity of thought on the part of the pupils as to additional activities which the school should offer, particularly with regard to the need of a gymnasium and facilities for work in industrial and household arts. The following statements regarding the need of a gymnasium and better provision for physical training were submitted by pupils and are typical : This school no doubt above all else should have a gymnasium. The school which we have here is a new one and a gymnasium should have been made in it. The school should have a gymnasium because we are not carrying out the state physical training law for schools. Classrooms are not large enough and it is awkward to do the exercises in the classrooms. I think our school should have a gymnasium. Our physical training can not be properly carried on without one. Very few high schools the size of Utica are without gymnasiums to help in the physical training of students. The school should offer further activities, especially for the girls.^ There should be a gymnasium which can be used by various school organizations. It is true that we go through some exercises each day but the way they are as a rule conducted and the exercises used are not of benefit enough to devote one's precious moments. I believe that the one thing which the school lacks is a gymnasium. We have plenty of room. The school gymnasium is necessary fo^jjj^j"^^!^.!"^ 146 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK life of the school. Not only would the athletic teams beuetit but all the students would benefit as well. I think a gymnasium should be added to the school and attendance made compulsor}'. I think it would make the students cleaner, more active and more interested. The school should ha\ e a large, well-equipped gymnasium and every pupil should be obliged to attend g>'mnasium classes. Such work should be given a regular class or study hour. We should have a gymnasium. Many young fellows are athletic and just as many are not. If we had a gymnasiimi all would have the advantages of it. Young men would keep cleaner, look better and live a healthier life; also the same with the girls. The school should have a gymnasium for the physical development of the students, also for the betterment of the school spirit. The school should have a gymnasium to carry forward the physical train- ing and to carry out the state laws concerning it fully. These statements are merely typical of those made by the 468 high school pupils who mentioned the gymnasium work as a needed school activity. The following statements made by the pupils relative to the need of courses in technical, industrial and vocational work are evidence of the failure of the school to function in this respect : The school should offer more vocational work. Every city of the size of Utica has a technical high school. The school should offer shop vvork to combine with mechanical drawing in order that drawing might be more of a reality to the pupils experimenting with its application to modern works. The pupils should have experience in shop work. Our school offers a very good course in mechanical drawing but I think they should also offer shop work. We have room in our school building and if machinery were installed it would help technical students very much. Besides his school work in drafting he would have ijiore practical experience which is essential to a good draftsman. When the addition was made to the school we were to have shop work in addition to mechanical drawing but this has not been done. I believe that more attention should be paid to mechanical arts and work relating to the training of the hand. The schools should offer technical courses so that the boys could learn something about carpentry and other trades for those who can not go to college. Shop work should be offered so as to accommodate those boys who intend to do manual work. Although the school is now well-equipped it would be a great help if a course in mechanical and electrical engineering were installed. The school should teach certain trades as electrician, carpentry etc. because through misfortune in one's family one is forced to stop school, that is, give up the idea of going to college, and so if he is taught a trade he is able to make use of it and doesn't have tn become an errand boy and work for $4 a week. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I47 A complete course should be offered in mechanical design, foundry and forge work. We have some equipment and plenty of room for this but nothing is being done along these lines. I took mechanical drawing and machine design for 2j/^ years, then that department went " bust " through lack o£ an instructor. The school should have a foundry where applied design could be studied. The school should be finished as was originally intended, that is, it should have the foundry and other industrial rooms outfitted and instructors pro- cured and these subjects offered. There are several pupils, even graduates, who would take this course and this is what the citizens of Utica expected when the building was built and so I think the building should be finished and finished soon. The school should combine more practical work with the present study of physics, that is, with the electrical and mechanical part of the study. I think this school should have technical courses of study such as the study of machines. Such a course would be of immense value to some boys who would be unable to go to college. We should have a course in automobile repair as this will be the greatest industry in years to come. The mechanical drawing student should have shop work because in mechanical drawing we have no practical experience with machines and consequently have practically no knowledge of machinery. If shop work were offered classes could get the practical as well as the theory of mechanics. It was once talked of but nothing resulted. The school should have a machine shop where boys who are going to be machinists can learn the beginning of the trade before they leave school. When they study the trade later things will come more easy to them. The suggestions as to the technical and industrial work covered a large group. Among the courses mentioned were the following : Manual training Machine shop Technical courses for boys Course in electrical engineering Trade courses Agriculture Technical course in physics Shop work Architectural drawing Foundry work Articulation of mechanical drawing with shop work More domestic science work Course in motor mechanics There is every evidence of sound judgment on the part of the student body in these suggestions as to the further courses of study or activities which the school should offer. Their thought in the matter is confirmed in large part by the specialists who visited the school. In these two respects, a gymnasium for physical training and equipment for technical and industrial work for both boys and 148 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK girls, the high school falls far short of meeting the needs of the community. Adequate provision for these important activities prop- erly articulated with the work of the higher elementary grades is one of the immediate and vital problems of the local school authorities. Pupils' Aims Beyond High School The limitations of the Utica Free Academy curriculum are fur- ther emphasized by the answers to the questions regarding the future plans of the pupils in the junior and senior classes. This question was answered by 361 pupils. The summary of these statements which appears below indicates the diversified interests of the pupils and the cosmopolitan character of the modern high school. It is noticeable that of the 361 pupils, 167 report their intention of taking up one of the two lines of work for which the high school makes definite preparation, further study in college or work in a business office. A few others may be considered as receiving specific prep- aration for their future activities. It is not too much to say, how- ever, that many of the juniors and seniors are receiving no definite preparation for intended future work : Office work 85 Library course 3 College 82 Military service 3 Undecided 62 Physical training course 3 Technical course 21 Dentistry 2 Normal course 16 Drafting 2 Nursing, course in 11 Secretarial course 2 Art course 10 Forestry 2 Business 9 Course in finance i Music 8 Architectural course i Work 7 Journalism i Law 5 Shopwork i Agriculture 5 Some profession i Medicine 4 Home i Domestic science 4 Not answered 12 As has been said, the preceding figures clearly show that the work ofifered in the high school meets only in part the needs of the pupils. Moreover, the introduction of technical, industrial and homemaking courses would result in an increased attendance and an increased service to the community. They should be given more definite and specific help through diversified courses of study which would not only aid them in determining the life work for which they are best fitted but would also help them to make the preparation necessary for that work. This is due to the individual pupils and also to the REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I49 community which must demand from every high school the largest possible service. The following quotation is from the report of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education of the National Education Association : No curriculum in the secondary school can be regarded as satisfactory unless it gives due attention to each of the objectives of education outlined herein. Health, as an objective, makes imperative an adequate time assignment for physical training and requires science courses properly focused upon personal and community hygiene, the principles of sanitation and their applications. Command of fundamental processes necessitates thorough courses in the English language as a means of taking in and giving forth ideas. Worthy home-membership calls for the redirection of much of the work in literature, art and the social studies. For girls it necessitates adequate courses in household arts. Citizenship demands that the social studies be given a prominent place. Vocation as an objective requires that many pupils devote much of their time to specific preparation for a definite trade or occupation, and that some pursue studies that serve as a basis for advanced v^rork in higher institutions. The v^^orthy use of leisure calls for courses in literature, art, music and science so taught as to develop appreciation. It necessitates also a margin of free electives to be chosen on the basis of personal avocational interests. Due recognition of these objectives will provide the elements of distribu- tion and concentration which are recognized as essential for a well-balanced and eflfective education. The Utica Free Academy should meet much more fully than it does the objectives named in the foregoing passage. Surnmar}'^ The high school building is a large modern plant except that there is no provision for gymnasium work, or adequate equipment for technical and shop work for the boys or for homemaking courses for the girls. The auditorium is rather small for school as well as community purposes. There is need of a more definite plan of high school organization. The atmosphere of the school indicates a lack of positive and defi- nite control. A system of group advisory teachers should be organized to act in this capacity with the individual pupils. Although the principal welcomes pupils and parents in conference, the problem is too large for one person and must in part at least be delegated. Several typical courses of study should be outlined and made available for pupils and parents in considering the high school work best adapted to their individual needs. 150 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Health education, notwithstanding its vital importance, has no adequate recognition in the high school program. Physical training consists only in the setting-up drills given at the beginning of cer- tain recitation periods by the classroom teachers. The instruction in the high school is very uneven. In some departments the work is strong and in others weak. There are department heads for certain subjects and not for others. There should be a department head for every group. The comprehensive or cosmopolitan high school is the typical American secondary school. The city needs the early organization of a group of intermediate schools, and a cosmopolitan high school in which all courses, academic, commercial, technical and industrial, will be coordinated. A thriving industrial community should find its needs reflected in some measure in the high school program. The program of work in the Utica Free Academy has been devel- oped along the line of the college preparatory course with the addi- tion more recently of a well-organized commercial course. The large group of pupils, however, who should have a broad general course or who will be directly or indirectly concerned with technical or industrial activities find too little in the school program related to their needs. The work of the high school should articulate more closely with that of the higher elementary grades. As has already been stated, the situation in the high school will not be solved until the whole program of work for the seventh, eighth and ninth (first year high school) years has been given careful and detailed study for the purpose of reorganizing the work in terms of community and individual needs. The new program for the intermediate schools, emphasizing certain community activities, will be the large factor in determining the diversified courses to be offered in the high school. 9 ACHIEVEMENT IN FUNDAMENTAL SUBJECTS AS MEASURED BY STANDARD TESTS For the purpose of measuring the efficiency of the instruction in terms of definite quantitative standards and in order to make the results achieved compara:ble with resuhs obtained in the schools of other cities, standardized tests were given in the subjects of arith- metic, composition, silent reading, spelling and writing, to pupils in the grades in eighteen grammar schools of the city. The tests or scales used were as follows : Courtis Standard Tests in the four fundamental operations o£ arith- metic Grades 4 to 8, "A" and " B " classes Hillegas Composition Scale (Nassau County Supplement) Grades 4 to 8, "A" classes Kansas Silent Reading Test (Kelly) . Grades 3 to 8, " B " classes Measuring Scale for Ability in spel- ling (Ayres) Grades 3 to 8, "A" and " B " classes Ayres Handwriting Scale (Gettysburg edition) Grades 4 to 8, "A" and " B " classes These tests differ from the usual examinations in two important respects : (a) They are like measuring rods. No pupil is expected to complete the work ; each pupil can show his ability by completing as much as possible within a given time limit, (b) They are intended to measure the attainment of grades or schools as wholes rather than of individual pupils. The results of the tests are ordinarily stated in terms of median scores. A median score of a grade is that one above which and below which there is an equal number of scores. It is not an ideal achievement but represents rather a halfway point between poor and good w^ork. For a school, therefore, to lay claim to highly satisfactory achievement, its median score must lie well above what is termed the standard median. The results of these tests, studied in connection with the time allotments, methods of teaching and local coiiditions, are valuable factors in determining the general efficiency of the instruction. They make possible: a Comparison of work done throughout the system with that done in other school systems. b Comparison of work done in different grades and different sec- tions of grades in the same school system. [151] 152 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK c Concentration of teaching effort upon the weaknesses in the instruction thus pointed out. d The saving of time and energy 1d\' discontinuing efforts in lines of work in which reasonably satisfactory results have already been secured. Arithmetic The Courtis arithmetic, tests are designed to ascertain the speed and accuracy of pupils in the four fundamental operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The tests consist of a series of twenty-four problems in each of the operations indicated. These problems are very carefully prepared so as to be of equal difficulty, and the number in each test is considerably greater than a child can ordinarily solve in the given time. In this way uniform measure- ment of ability is secured. The scores attained in the Courtis tests in arithmetic have been tabulated and set forth in various tables and graphs. Table 20 is a summary exhibit of the data showing the distribu- tion of pupils by grades with respect to attempts or speed in com- putation as shown by the tests in the four fundamental operations. For the purpose of comparison, the Courtis standard medians are shown in connection vv^ith the medians attained. It will be observed in table 20 that the fourth grades as a whole exceeded the standard of attempts in subtraction and in multiplica- tion and exactly attained the standard in division; that the seventh grades exactly attained the standard of attempts in subtraction and that in all other respects the grades failed to attain the median standard speed in computation. It will also be noted that the fourth grades have the lowest per- centage of pupils belov/ standard in each of .the four fundamental operations ; that they also have the highest percentage above grade standard in addition and that with the- exception of the seventh grade, they have the highest percentage above standard in sub- traction, multiplication and division. These facts seem to indicate that pupils leave the fourth grade with relatively greater skill in the fundamental operations than they possess when they leave the succeeding grades. Table 21 is a summary exhibit of attainments showing the dis- tribution of pupils by grades with respect to the number of examples correctly worked and giving the actual per cent of accuracy attained by each grade as a whole. For the purpose of comparison, the average percentage of accuracy as attained in the use of the Courtis tests generally is also shown for each grade. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 153 spJnoQ SUBTpap^ r-00 00 1000 M li^O r~- Oi Oi t^ \ l>- O >-" N ro O t^ N O 00 00 00 O c^ N vO O t^ O^ O ■^vOOO O M o Hoo CO 10 M 00 00 r-00 O\00 ^O O ^ 1 IH (^ • M -^ ] . -rj- 1> t-^o I 1000 ro O (^ I CO c^oO M M I w *-< C^ I rooo ^O ro M M (N Cl l-l . TtOO O N O M • rJ-sO u^ r O w 0 1-" , - , rO "^ fO ^ f*^ I Oi I ro M O t^ ^ lOO -^"^ < 00 N w 0\ C^ lOCOO «0 H ■ fO H O -^ I l/^ M O Tt I I/) 1-1 I (N M M M ^ 10 lOvO I r<3l-i0O H I r<5 I I "I \noo Oi N-o I o I fOO 00 rJ-O I 1/1 I w H N M vo O, >0^0 t^ ■^00 M N N M c^ lOfO ro c^ t>-00'O rfro O MM I po I M TtTl-O »0 I ^ 1 M M sO ro M ro MM t ro I t^ 0\ OwO C^ I ro 00 "^QC O t> '^lO^O l>00 00 00 00 00 00 00 fOOO rOO I \0 t^ 0\ M O t^ M vOO i> r- t^ I t^ M • ro • PO I r- . M M j Cq PH M roo M I CJ fO t^ "^ (N t^ I ro M Tt Tj- O\00 I vO loior^ M o I 00 M M I ro lo WooO 0) I ro r* ■'^vo lo 0\ 1 M (-C M M N 00 M oi r^ Ov ro I ci cs "^1 0 O 0» M \0 I tH t-.vO TfM 01 I O t:}- ro M M C4 (N r^o t^ M I fo ro - r^oo CO MO loooo I a C^ rj- 1~~ Oi ro O vO O vO O C^ I vO to '^ I On I ro lO I> M 00 ro O ro 0\ 0» I "^ I lO t^ lO M N ro O (NvO vO I t^ (^ N c^ ro M vO ro N 0\ O ro lo r*oo 0\ O 0» 0\ 0\ lO M I t^ M t^ r^ O 00 N »osC r^oo 00 I t^ • M rooo I "N " r M ■^O -+00 I ro ' -''' / / / / / r^ /^ ■ / .Courtis Standard —_-_—. utica oivisioh Division Median of Attempts Perceniaje of Accuracy Attempts, ^. .. 12 iVVV II 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 ' — ___ - I 5^- I I 1 J. I / I I I. I —L — J. 1 — y Chart 15 Showing the achievement of each grade in multiplication and division 158 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In table 22 limiting medians are tabulated from table 20 and the wide variation between the highest and the lowest median of attempts is shown for each grade. Table 22 Limiting medians in fundamental operations GRADE 4 GRADE S GRADE 6 GRADE 7 GRADE 8 & ^ 0) C 0) S s s -a & ^ C a Q .S? P s p e2 Addition Subtraction. . . Multiplication. Division 7.7 10.4 7.8 4.8 4.5 S.4 4.8 2.7 3-2 5.0 3.0 2.1 8.8 10.8 8.8 7.8 S.2 6.S 5.8 3-9 3.6 4-3 3.0 3.9 II. 13-7 10.7 9.7 4.8 6.8 4.8 5.3 6.2 6.9 5-9 4.4 13.2 14.6 II. 6 II. 8.3 9.0 7.8 7.8 4.9 S.6 3.8 3-2 13.5 16.7 II. 8 II. 2 8.S 10.4 9.5 9.0 5-0 6.3 2.3 2. 2 23.9 28.1 18.0 IS. 8 Total 13-3 14.8 23.4 17-5 .... 15.8 It will be observed that the variation is greatest in addition and subtraction and that its maximum is reached in the sixth grades. This table reveals differences which are too great to be overlooked. It suggests a situation which demands careful and painstaking read- justment. In this connection, it is of interest to note the graphic represen- tation of the distribution of attempts in the four fundamental operations as shown in charts 18 and 19. It may be observed that the curve of distribution is quite normal in the fourth and fifth grades and to a certain degree in the sixth grade. In the seventh grade, the efforts are widely scattered, and- the eighth grade shows no curve whatever. This is of special interest in view of the urgent need of reorganization of the whole program of work for these grades. The medians of attempts and the percentages of accuracy of the work in arithmetic have been given in the preceding tables and charts. It is of special interest, however, to present the accompany- ing graphs which comprise both of the factors — speed and accu- racy. These graphs illustrate what the pupils are accomplishing in terms of both factors as compared with the Courtis standard. It is observed that in these charts the median number of attempts or the speed is shown in the horizontal column while the percentage of accuracy is represented in the vertical column. The achieve- ment of each grade is indicated by the small circles. Near each is REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 159 /^DDITIOM 90 "^ ?3 ,,, < 80 6 .K- -J ^ >-~ _,^ --- --( i- 4 ,- ^■^ (7i -<: 8 < 60 u. Jt • > f 6 / / f fi/ j». 50 / / i ^A z: 4 ) 1 40 / / f / f i Ol 30 / / »A / s 6 7 8 9 10 11. ]^ -t- NUMBER or ATTEMPT5-5^ SUBTRACTIOM 100 "^" 1 > 90 5 .4 >— 4 >-- .-< )8 ^x <' ^ — " — t )-- t - ^ ^ ■^ ri / n — T- -W 8 ''' / ( A- 3 < / — Jj 60 / ' •- w<, -3 (L 2: 50 -/ Lu / J- 1 — Of 40 / f- a: — 30 1 1 —4. ■ zo 5 6 7 8 9 If Courtis 5ta I ) ncf< L l li } M J Chart 16 Showing medians of attempts and percentage of accuracy in addition and subtraction i6o THE UNIVERSITY' OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK MULTIPLICATION U o < u. r lu (J UJ a y < < I- z: LU 00 90 & T -1. 80 ?^ r"" ^-^ y- ■•^ 7- ^ .'' — ^ ^ V 10 ^ r'' A ^ r "* ^' ^ -1 60 / « , ' b(^ ' 41^ _ 4-5 6 7 8 9 10 U 12. -^NUMBEf^ or ATTEMPTsS-*- Division 100 & t =1 L_ 90 ,s r- *•"• ^" •-< ? \ -' i fcT ^ ■V- SO > r; f ^* ^( ^-^ > '10 < / 60 ^ ^ • < !<* DO AC JO , 34. 56789 lOll Courtis Stan^rcl -— Oticzi. Chart ly Showing medians of attempts and percentage of accuracy in multiplication and division i The Lansing Street School Built in 1858. A sad commentary on the educational program of the city. In no way fitted for school purposes. The Albany Street School Erected in 1896. A four-room addition was built in 1909. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM l6l placed the number of the grade. The importance of more intensive drill in the fundamental operations of arithmetic and the need of giving greater attention to accuracy is emphasized by these graphs as well as those which have been previously given. The median of efficiency, the term used to denote the product of median attempts multiplied by the percentage of accuracy, gives a basis of comparing the actual achievement of the different grades. Since the median of efficiency comprises both speed and accuracy, it is a more comprehensive and a more suggestive measure of achievement than is either the median of attempts or the median of accuracy. It indicates more definitely what a pupil or a class is able to do in the fundamental operations. The medians of efficiency attained by each grade in each of the schools is shown in table 23. It will be observed that although several individual grades achieved the general median of efficiency in the different operations, not a single grade in the city as a whole attained this standard. The results of these tests indicate that several of the classes and a few of the schools are doing reasonably satisfactory work in the four fundamental operations in arithmetic. There are, however, many classes in some schools where the results are not satisfactory. The failure to attain a reasonable standard of attempts and a greater failure in the matter of accuracy throughout the grades as a whole, together with the variations of attainment of grades in the different schools, call for needed readjustment. The wide difference in the abilities of pupils in the same grades, even in the same class, as shown by the results of these tests and the large number of pupils who failed to give a single correct answer, indicate a lack of proper grading and a serious problem of instruc- tion. When classes of the same grade in certain schools are able to achieve two and even three times what classes of this grade in other schools attain, there is suggested a possible lack of coordina- tion in the work of teaching which presents a serious problem of supervision. The causes for the failure of so many classes and of all the grades taken as wholes to attain median standard results need to be sought for and special effort should be made to provide the proper remedy. In this connection, it may be added that it has been well demon- strated that by thorough concentration of effort upon instruction and drill, marked improvement in the work of the fundamental operations may be made in a single year. 1 62 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK o o m be g • MOO lO tM Ol M N • O t^'O 00 00 t~ t^ I •00 M t^l^^looOOO f^OtOiiot^*^0 ■fOOQO(N«fOioOi Tf 00 ^^ cs vO ro fo ' »0 to ro '^ 1^ ro t/50 ^ 1/5 Tj-o lO lo to C1MMr>5rtNr»3'5)-Nt»:>ONroi t^ lo • o 1 PI 00 O r«3«^ "*M f<50 MHNH(iMHroMMrOH(4i • >o t^ n M N oi lo • M 00 00 M O M t^ • t^ t^ c^oo 00 r* t^ lO t^vO t-»00 1/50 • • • ^"it -tl-Tl-o ro>o>0 ■*!/) Tl-i/1 ^irt lo OvsOOOsOOOOlOiott U5VO O M O • vO 00 -^M -^fOtOO CSOOW C^rOt^ lOO O ■ "^ f«5 n •* lo lo ro ■^O ro -^ lo r<5 ^ CO ■* fO -^ 00 M vo O Oi t^ l« t^vO Oi O rj- O O ro • • O r~ ^ o o lo '^ lo OiO lo Ti" oi '^ '^o • -00 t fO Tf f«3 PO ro M '^^ Tj- tJ- lo « t«5 ^ ^ • -n ' Oico O Oi H o o • 00 Oi ^ (X PO ro-O •O 00 ro (M O 0\ M ■o Oi 0\ Oi M r^ Ov • O t^oo N 00 t~ TtvO Tj- O 00 Tj- O O rO • lo r<5 N r- t~-oo fo Oi rOfOlOMTj-M\OMO»^ NrOfOMfOMM';f^ro^'HM' M g tS 3 o o 0:9 2j5-^n o n S « 3 o -H ■2.E REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 163 I 2 J f ^ i, 7 t' 7 e I ^ s » If /i a /r o I z 3 i s G 7 1 1 /o II 12 IS 11 a li mt moai 2221 zt Chart 18 Showing the distribution of attempts in Courtis tests in addition and subtraction 164 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK MULTiPUCATION DIVISION 0/Z31S67if/!l II £tJ /t IS It n If 112021 S3^ 0IZ31l(>7i7CII SB Chart 19 Showing the distribution of attempts in Courtis tests in multiplication and division REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 165 '•» Composition The test in composition consisted of the writing of 20-minute compositions on the subject " How I Would Spend Ten Dollars -so as to Give Five People the most Enjoyment." Pupils were allowed to use either pen or pencil. No suggestions were given as to con- tent of themes or arrangement of material. Pupils were asked merely to write " as interesting a story as you can " on the subject stated. No limit except that of time was placed upon the length of themes. The great majority of them, however, were about a page in length. The themes were rated in the following manner: About one-half of the themes selected at random from those submitted from each grade were read by a committee of some seventy-five teachers. Themes were selected, in this manner for reading in order to elim- inate unnecessary labor and because the application of the law of averages gave assurance that the findings for the system as a whole would be the same as though they were based upon the reading of all themes written. Themes were not marked with the name of the pupil, the school or the grade. These marks appeared only on the envelops containing the themes. When taken from the envelops the themes were given a code mark. Thus the markers had no way of knowing from what school or room the themes came. In the reading of the themes the Nassau County Supplement of the Hillegas Composition Scale was used. This scale consists of eight themes so selected as to represent gradations in excellence or quality of composition. When this scale is used the themes to be rated are moved along from one type theme to another until the fheme on the scale is found which most closely resembles in quality the theme which is being rated. The grade or mark is assigned accordingly. In the actual grading of the themes, the markers were seated m four rows side by side. Each theme was first graded by a teacher in the first row who then folded the paper in such a way as to conceal her mark. In this way each theme was rated three times without any of the markers knowing the rating assigned by her associates. The teacher in the fourth row averaged the grades assigned by the three markers, and wrote this at the top as the final rating of the theme. The total number of papers thus rated rep- 1 66 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK resented the attainments of. 49^ per cent of all the pupils in the upper five grades in the elementary schools of the city. The median results are tabulated in table 24 as follows : Table 24 Medians attained in composition Francis South , No. 18 No. 19 No. 21 Albany Street Brandegee Mandeville Mary Street Miller Potter No. 20 James Kemble Keman Wetmore Union Street Academy Grade medians Tentative standard medians Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 5 Grade 7 4.6 Grade 8 4.8 5-3 4.0 6.1 S-2 5-5 These results reveal the following facts with regard to attain- ments in the composition tests : All the grades as wholes and fifty-two of the fifty-seven classes failed to attain the general medians of achievement. In other words, all the fourth and fifth grade classes, all but one of the sixth grades and all but two classes in each of the seventh and eighth grades failed to achieve the results regarded as tentative standards. It will be noted also that six of the fifteen sixth grades failed to attain as high a score as the fifth grade in the same school respectively. In view of these facts, the five classes that reached or exceeded the standard medians deserve special mention ; they are the sixth grade in Kernan, the seventh grades in School 20 and James Kemble and the eighth grades in School 20 and Academy. It should be noted also that the fifth grade in South Street, the sixth and eighth grades in Wetmore and the sixth and seventh grades in Union and Academy schools closely approached the standard scores. While the limits of high and low medians attained in each of the grades indicate a wide variation in ability of classes in the same grade, it will be observed that this wide variation is limited to com- paratively few classes. Although most of the classes fell below REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 167 Standard, the majority do not show an unreasonably wide distribu- tion of abilities from grade to grade. The striking exceptions to this will be noted in the sixth grade in Kernan, the seventh grades in School 20 and Kemble and the eighth grade in Academy. The situation in Kernan, as shown by the results, is so unusual as to call for special mention. Although this school ranks lowest in the list of schools in the fourth, fifth and seventh grades, it is first in the sixth grade, which exceeded the grade standard by a wide margin and attained next to the highest score of any class in the city. This naturally raises the question why pupils of this grade in this school show such marked ability in expression and pupils in the other grades mentioned show such a decided lack in such ability. It again emphasizes the uneven character of the grade work which appears so often in the other tests. In this connection, how- ever, it should be stated that the Kernan School had been organized as a single school unit in a new building only a few months before the survey was made. Previous to this time the pupils of this school were scattered about in several separate buildings. Table 25 offers a comparison of the median scores attained in the Utica schools with those attained in eleven other school systems. This comparison again emphasizes the comparatively lov^^ standard achieved in Utica. Table 25 Comparison of Utica median scores in English composition with median! scores attained in other school systems SCHOOL SYSTEM Utica Binghamton Nassau county Lead, S. D Newark, N. J. (one school only) Ethical Culture School, New York City. Chatham, N.J Sah Lake City, Utah Butte, Mont South River, N. J Mobile county, Ala Mobile, A'ia Tentative standard medians. MEDIAN SCORE ATTAINED IN GRADE 2.41 2.70 2.76 3. 57 2.39 2.95 3-58 2.34 2.31 3.20 3-31 3-5 3.13 3-28 3-42 4. II 2.51 4.01 2.8s 3.84 2.80 2.55 3-91 3. 85 3-73 4.41 3.82 4.64 3.56 4-72 4. 10 4.61 3-41 3.78 4-34 4.60 4-5 5-23 5-62 4-S6 5.77 5. 27 5-74 S.29 6.37 4. II 5-62 5-5 From the preceding table it will be observed that Utica ranks comparatively low in the list of school system.s. In the list of eleven fourth grades Utica ranks eighth. In the fifth, sixth and seventh l68 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK grades, Utica ranks eighth, tenth and seventh respectively in the groups of twelve cities; and it ranks eighth in the list of ten eighth grades. In general, it may be said that the facts revealed by the results in the English composition tests show that with the exception of a few of the sixth grades, pupils are reasonably well grouped with regard to ability and that fair progress is made from grade to grade or, in other words, the majority of the pupils in each grade have made a higher score than has any large per cent of the pupils in the grade below it. The facts further show, however, that very few classes received a high rating and that the standard of achievement in general is low. This is a situation that demands the concerted action of super- visors, principals and teachers in a special effort to discover the underlying causes and to apply such remedy as will distinctly improve the work in English composition. Spelling In the tests in spelling the Ayers Measuring Scale for Ability in Spelling was used. This scale is made up of looo words selected with the purpose of identifying the lOOO words most commonly used in every-day writing. The preparation of the list of words was based upon a study of material aggregating 368,000 words and embracing 1,400,000 spellings by 70,000 children in 84 cities through- out the country. The words are arranged in twenty-six separate lists, each list being made up of words that are of approximately equal spelling difficulty. For the Utica tests, twenty words were selected for each grade examined. These were taken from the " respective lists requiring 79 per cent as the standard attainment for the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades, and 84 per cent for the eighth grade. As these tests were given immediately after the January promotions, it is only fair to compare the results with the midway standards : 69 per cent in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades ; 72 per cent in the seventh grade ; and 78 per cent in the eighth grade. The tests were given in both the "A" and " B " classes in the five upper grades. Each list of words was pronounced to the pupils by their regular teacher in the same manner as in the usual classroom procedure. In the upper grades the children exchanged papers and corrected them as the teacher spelled the words. In the lower grades, the papers were all corrected by the teachers or by upper grade, pupils. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 169 The following table compares the results obtained in Utica with those secured in certain other cities. Allowance must be made for the differences in standards indicated below : Table 26 Spelling test — Utica compared with other cities PER CENT ATTAINED IN EACH GRADE 4 5 6 7 8 Utica 1 70.2 ' 70.0 78.7 75-9 78.8 82.0 70. S 72.0 84. S 84.7 87.6 80.1 71.8 68.0 75-0 80.2 86.8 80.6 80.1 73-0 76.0 79-7 87.1 81.8 88.9 Springfield 111 i. 75. Butte Mont ^ 89.4 Oakland Cal 2 76.3 Salt Lake City Utah 2 82.2 Binghamton N Y' 91.4 1 The Ayres standard for the words used in the Utica and Springfield tests is 69 per cent m grades 4, S and 6; 72 per cent in grade 7. and 78 per cent in grade 8. 2 The Ayres standard for words used in the tests in these systems is 70 per cent. 'The Ayres standard per cent for the Binghamton test is 79 per cent in grades 4, 5, 6 and 7. and 84 per cent in grade 8. The following table shows the per cent attained by each grade in each of the schools : Table 27 Results in spelling by grades and schools PER CENT ATTAINED IN EACH GRADE Francis South No. 18 No. 19 No. 21 Albany Brandegee Mandeville Mary Miller Potter. No. 20 James. Kemble Keman Wetmore Union Academy .- City of Utica Ayers standard — Utica 66.6 79.1 7I-S 66.0 66.6 72.3 62.6 77-1 61.8 74-7 76.4 76.2 73-9 70. S 59-4 67. 72. 74- 67. 72. 70. 70. 73- 62. 79. 69. 70. 81. 63. 66. 76. 1 64-3 71.6 72.6 69.9 66.2 64.4 71.8 77-4 6S.1 74-6 66.2 66.0 71.9 87.7 90.5 8S.0 85. 7 88.8 82.2 69.2 69.7 69 69 69 86.4 78 It will be observed from table 27 that each of the five grades taken as wholes for the city exceeded the Ayres standard, notably so in the eighth grade. It should be noted, however, that six of the I/O THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK C^llOt^iO -^ r*>oo -oo r^ IN r-oo lo CO w 0\ t^^O REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I/I fifteen fourth grades, five of the fifteen fifth grades, and six of the fourteen sixth grades failed to attain such standard while only one of the seventh grades and none of the eighth grades failed to do so. Table 28 is an exhibit of the number of pupils in each grade spelHng from one to twenty words correctly. Table 28 shows the following facts : 12.6 per cent fourth grade pupils passed 90 per centt or above, 41 per cent failed to attain standard; 16.2 per cent of fifth grade pupils passed 90 per cent or above, 40.5 per cent failed to attain standard; ii.i per cent of sixth grade pupils passed 90 per cent or above, 39.1 per cent failed to attain standard; 18.2 per cent of seventh grade pupils passed 90 per cent or above, 31.7 per cent failed to attain standard; 41.4 per cent of eighth grade pupils passed 90 per cent or above, 21.5 per cent failed to attain standard. It is worthy of note that relatively the least satisfactory results appear in the sixth grades and that the improvement made in the eighth grades as compared with that in the seventh is very pro- nounced. The latter fact is undoubtedly due to special attention and effort being given to the stibject in preparation for Regents examinations. The resuhs seem to indicate clearly what may be accomplished in spelling when conscious effort is made to improve a pupil's spelling ability. It should be noted also that, considering the results by grades, all the grades in each of the following schools attained the respective Ayers standards: South, No. 18, Albany, Miller, Potter, Kemble, Academy and all but the sixth grade in School 20. School 19 appears to be the only school where all the grades failed to attain standard. While the comparative table shows that the results in Utica com- pare favorably with those attained in two of the cities named, they are obviously below those attained in the other cities named in the list. This, together with the fact that from 31.7 per cent to 41 per cent of the pupils in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades failed to attain the Ayers standard, suggests that the supervising officers and teachers may profitably give their special attention to advancing the standard of spelling ability in these grades. Silent Reading In order to test the reading ability of pupils in the elementary- schools of Utica the Kansas Silent Reading tests were used in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The ^purpose of 1/2 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK these tests is to determine the pupil's abiHty to secure thought from the printed page. For the purpose of adaptation to the child's increasing ability in reading, two sets of tests are used, one for grades 3, 4 and 5 and one for grades 6, 7 and 8. Each test consists of a series of questions or statements which the pupil answers or comments upon according to his interpretation of the question asked or of the directions given. The questions are assigned differ- ent values according to their varying degrees of difficulty. The following questions taken from the tests will serve to indicate their general type and character: Tests for grades 3, 4 and 5 No. I Value I have red, green and yellow papers in my hand. If I place J.2 the red and green papers on the chair, which color do I still have in my hand ? . . . . No. 7 Value A child wrote these letters on the blackboard, b y a k. He 1.3 then rubbed out one letter and put c in its place. He then had b y c k on the blackboard. What was the letter which he erased? .... No. ID Value A recipe calls for milk, sugar, cornstarch and eggs. I have 2.1 milk, sugar and eggs. What must I get before I can use the recipe? .... Tests for grades 6, 7 and 8 No. I The air near the ceiling of a room is warm, while that on the Value floor is cold. Two boys are in the room, James on the floor and i.o Harry on a box eight feet high. Which boy has the warmer place? .... No. 6 In going to school, Tames has to pass John's house, but does Value not pass Frank's. If Harry goes to -school with James, whose 2.3 house will Harry pass, John's or Frank's? .... No. 14 A list of words is given below. One of them is needed to com- Value plete the thought in the following sentence: 4.9 The roads became muddy when the snow Do not put the missing word in the blank space left in the sentence, but put a cross below the word in the list which is next above the word needed in the sentence, water is melted snow. Although the ability to secure thought from the printed page is recognized to be of great value outside of school life, it is not REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 173 always realized that the pupil who can not readily grasp the thought of what he is reading is very much handicapped in his school work since much of this is based upon the study of textbooks. Definite information regarding the pupil's ability in thought-getting from reading is therefore of great importance. The median scores attained in the Utica schools are exhibited in the following table : Table 29 Utica median scores in silent reading SCHOOL MEDIAN SCORES BY GRADES 4 5 6 7 8 13-0 10.8 10.3 12.4 13.0 10.7 12.3 II. 9 10.3 14-5 8.7 II. 9 12.2 10.8 8.2 13.0 II .0 12.4 13. I 14.4 15.2 12.6 IS. 6 II. 3 14-5 8.8 15-3 IS. I iS-5 12.0 14.0 "13.0 12.7 13.0 12.8 14.5 15.8 IS. 6 15.3 13.0 16.9 14.9 13.6 14. 1 14.3 IS. 3 "is^e 15.9 IS. I 18. 1 16.9 18.2 South No. 18 No, 19 Miller Potter 18.8- 21. 7 22.7 22.7 18.8 21 . S II. 2 13.3 14. S 16.9 Standard medians 9S 13.2 13.9 16.2 19.2 The above table shows that the results attained by the grades as a whole are above the respective standard medians in every instance. It is worthy of note also that all the grades in Mandeville, Miller and Academy and all but the eighth grade in School 20 exceeded the standard scores. Of the fifty-eight classes, twenty failed to attain the respective standards as follows : two of the fourth grades, eight of the fifth grades, six of the sixth grades and two of each of the seventh and eighth grades. It will be observed, however, that six of these twenty classes fell but little short of the standard medians: the fifth grades in Francis and School 19, the sixth grade in Kernan, the seventh grade in Kemble and the eighth grades in School 20 and Union Street schools. The per cent of failure is shown to be least in the fourth grades and to be much the greatest in the fifth and sixth grades. 1/4 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK A comparison of the median scores attained in the schools of Utica with those attained in certain other school systems is shown as follows : Table 30 Median scores made with the Kansas Silent Reading Tests SCHOOL SYSTEM MEDIAM SCORES BY GRADES 4 5 6 7 8 Utica II. 2 II .0 8.8 9-7 8.2 9.5 10.6 8.4 13.3 13-9 13-1 14-3 II. 8 14.6 14.4 12.3 14-5 15.3 13.8 14-3 12. 5 14.8 is-o II. 8 16.9 17.3 16. 1 17-3 14.0 17.7 18.0 IS. 4 21. I 19.1 19.7 20.6 First class cities in Kansas Second class cities in Kansas 19.2 9-S 13-2 13.9 16.2 19. 2 This table shows that median scores attained in the schools of Utica compare very favorably with those attained in other city systems and that in so far as these medians may indicate, the thought-getting abilities of the pupils in the elementary schools of Utica rank Kvell with those in any of the systems menitioned. While this comparatively high standard may well be a source of satisfaction to principals and teachers, there is a rather wide range of abilities indicated in the same grades in different schools. This is shown as follows : GRADE HIGH SCORE 4 Miller 14.5 5 Mandeville 15.6 6 No. 20 16.9 7 No. 20 18.6 8 Kernan and Wetmore ... 22.7 LOW SCORE VARIATION Wetmore 8.2 6.3 Potter 8.8 6.8 No. 19 12.7 4.2 Kernan 15.1 3.5 Union & No. 20 . . . 18.8 3.9 These variations, together with the exceptional number of failures to attain standard scores in the fifth and sixth grades, seem to indi- cate weaknesses that call for an investigation with the view of still further advancing the general standard of work. Handwriting The quality and speed of the handwriting of pupils in the Utica public schools were tested by means of what is known as the Gettys- burg edition of Ayres Hand Writing Scale. This scale consists of REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 75 eight specimens of medium slant handwriting varying in excellence by very accurately adjusted intervals and rated at from lo to 90 per cent respectively. This edition of the Ayres scale receives its name from the fact that the sentences to be written are the first three from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The directions for the use of the scale are in part as follows : " To secure samples of handwriting the teacher should write on the board the first three sentences of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and have the pupils read and copy it until familar with it. They should then copy it beginning at a given signal and writing for precisely two minutes. They should write in ink on ruled paper. To score samples slide each specimen along the scale until a writing of the same quality is found. The number at the top of the scale above this shows the value of the writing being measured. Dis- regard differences in style but try to find on the scale the quality corresponding with that of the sample being scored." The rate of speed in writing is determined by counting the actual number of letters written in the prescribed time. For convenience in doing this, a copy of the sentences to be written is provided with appropriate numbering. The directions for securing samples of handwriting as stated in the preceding paragraph were followed in Utica. About one-half of these samples selected at random from those submitted from each grade were scored by a committee of teachers chosen by the superintendent of schools. Samples were selected in this manner in order to eliminate unnecessary labor and because the application of the law of averages gave assurance that the findings for the system as a whole would be the same as though they were based upon the rating of all samples of handwriting secured. Samples were not marked with the name of the pupil, the school or the grade ; instead the grade and school were written on the envelops containing the themes. When taken from the envelop each sample was given a code mark. Thus the scorers had no way of knowing from what school or room the samples came. Each sample was scored by three different teachers, no one of whom knew the mark assigned by the others. The average of these three scores was given as the final score of the composition. Chart 20 pictures the achievement of Utica pupils in handwriting in terms of the Ayers standard. It shov/s that while only the eighth 1/6 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK grade has met the Ayres standard in quahty, all grades have far exceeded the same standard in speed. The eighth grade pupil writes as well as the standard and much more rapidly. The progress of the grades in handwriting is shown to be rather uneven. The fourth grade is 6 points below the standard in quality but is II points above in speed. Relative progress of 2 points in. quality and 3 points in speed is made in the fifth grades while a slight retardation in quality is noted in the sixth grade. A large lOG 90 SO Q Ul hi 70 Q. 60 50 40 6 / / [ ■ V 9d y y V^ '-' 'i / <' '/ 35 40 A5 50 55 • QUAUTY — ' ...Ayres Standard ftica 60 65 10 Chart 20 Showing quality and speed of writing in elementary grades compared with Ayers standard step forward in quality is made in the seventh grade which falls only I point below the standard but it falls 6 points below the sixth grade in speed. This fact suggests that the relation between rate and quality of performance may be a profitable source of investigation tor principals and teachers. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 177 The following tables offer a comparison of the results attained in Utica with those attained in other school systems : Table 31 Utica median scores in quaUty and speed in handwriting compared with those attained in other school systems Quality SCHOOL SYSTEM Utica Binghamton, N. Y. Cleveland, Ohio '. . Iowa 2 Starch* Kansas * Fifty-six cities * . . . St Paul, Minn GRADES 4 S 6 7 8 40 46 49 57 62 40 45 51 59 66 45 48 50 55 45 49 52 57 61 37 43 47 S3 57 SO 55 59 64 70 46 51 55 59 63 49 55 58 60 67 Number of specimens scored I 652 25 387 28 000 4 740 6 000 34 000 1 Judd Charles H. " Measuring the Work of the Public Schools." (Report Survey Committfee °''As^^!:^^B^r^^Hini^lins of School Children." (University of Iowa. Bulletin IS. ^^Starch.'r)'. "The Measurement of Efficiency in Reading. Writing, Spelling and English" ^■^.llSnfi^m^i' Reirt of Educational Measurements and Standards. (State Normal ^'^FreemXF?'K^''Fourteen Year Book of the National Society for the Study of Education, (pt. 1, 1915)- Speed SCHOOL SYSTEM Utica Binghamton, N. Y. Cleveland, Ohio . . . Iowa Starch Kansas . . • • Fifty-six cities St Paul, Minn 95 74 80 77 83 73 73 78 In table 31 the grade medians both for speed and for quality are tabulated from several recent studies. In quality Utica ranks above Cleveland and below St Paul in every grade. It takes a middle position among the seven cases reported so that the quality of hand- writing as judged by the tests is neither good enough or bad enough to become conspicuous. When turning to the median scores for speed, however, Utica stands out preeminent. No published report 1/8 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK shows SO high a rate of speed in any grade as is achieved by the pupils of Utica. It raises the question of whether the proper rela- tion between speed and quality has been maintained and whether quality has not been sacrificed in order to produce rapid writers. Summary The achievements in the fundamental operations in arithmetic as measured by standard tests are unsatisfactory in both speed and accuracy. In only four cases out of twenty do the grade medians for speed in computation equal or exceed the standard medians. Not a single grade as a whole attained the standard percentage of accuracy. The tests show wide differences in the abilities of pupils in the same grade, oftentimes even in the same class. This variation of attainment is unusually marked in the seventh and eighth grades. In composition no grade as a v^^hole and only five of the fifty-seven classes in the different schools attained the standard median of achievement. The variation in ability of pupils in the same grade is less marked than in arithmetic. In» comparison with other school systems, Utica's rank in composition is comparatively low. In spelling each of the five grades taken as wholes for the city exceeded the Ayres standard. The spelling w^as unusually good in the eighth grade, where 41.4 per cent of the pupils attained a standing of 90 per cent or above. In several schools all the classes exceeded the standard for their respective grades. The micdian scores attained in the silent reading tests in the schools of Utica compare favorably with those attained in other city systems. There is, however, a rather wide range of abilities indicated in the same grade in different schools. The handwriting in the Utica schools shows a high rate of speed. The grade medians for speed are unusually high but the quality of the handwriting is neither good enough nor bad enough to be conspicuous. The quality of the writing has apparently been sacri- ficed for speed. In general it may be said that the results of the tests indicate the need of a definite program for the supervision of the Vv^ork in the elementary grades not only to raise the standard of attainment but also to eliminate the wide range of abilities in the same grades. f: ^1 1 ' / 111 \ ^ *ii \ \ '*■ V **' "^m \ \ * \ 10 COMPARATIVE SCHOOL COSTS In many cities, boards of education are handicapped in carrying forward the school program through lack of financial support from other city authorities who may determine the budget estimates. In an earlier chapter, it was pointed out that the board of education of the city of Utica determines the amount of the school budget and has control of the method of expenditure. There is therefore no possible embarrassment through any lack of control in budget matters. The success of the school system in so far as this may be insured by proper financial support is entirely in the hands of the board of education. The whole question of school costs in any city is understood only in comparison with similar expenditures in other cities of the same class, and with the educational program which the schools of the city offer. Other chapters treat of the educational activities of the schools. The present chapter presents a comparison of costs. For this purpose, a selected group of cities has been taken from the Financial Statistics of Cities for 1917,^ issued by the United States Census Bureau. This group consists of the twenty-three cities of the north and west of which Utica is the median city in population. The tables which are presented in this chapter are largely taken from this report of the Census Bureau or compiled therefrom. These comparisons have been based largely on this .report of the Census Bureau as giving the latest available and most accurate data for this purpose. The selected group of twenty-three cities and their estimated population in 1917 are as follows: Table Z"^ Population of twenty-three cities, with Utica as a median CITY POPULATION I917 Camden, N. J io6 233 Albany, N. Y 106 003 Springfield, Mass 105 7I5 Lynn, Mass 102 425 Des Moines, Iowa 102 211 Lawrence, Mass. '. 100 560 1 Financial Statistics of Cities, 1917, U. S. Census Bureau, Washington, D. C. [179] l8o THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK CITY POPULATION, I917 Yonkers, N. Y 99 838 Schenectady, N. Y 99 519 Duluth, Minn 94 495 Akron, Ohio 90 625 Elizabeth, N. J 87 760 M Utica, N. Y 87 401 Sommerville, Mass 87 039 Waterbury, Conn 86 973 Manchester, N. H 78 283 Troy, N. Y 'j'j 916 Hoboken, N. J "jy 584 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 76 760 Fort Wayne, Ind 76 183 Evansville, Ind "^d 078 Erie, Pa 75 206 Passaic, N. J yji 1 1 1 Harrisburg, Pa 72 015 Of this selected group of cities, Utica is the median with an estimated population in 191 7 of 87,401. This is largely an eastern group, including five cities from New York, four from Massachu- setts, four from New Jersey, three from Pennsylvania, one from Connecticut and one from New Hampshire, or eighteen of the twenty-three cities from these states. The five other cities are in the middle west. In this group of cities the per capita governmental cost payments for general department expenses varied in 1917 from $10.22 for Fort Wayne, Ind., to $26.25 fo'" Springfield, Mass. The per capita general departmental expenses for all cities of the group are as follows : Table zz ' ■ ^ Per capita governmental cost payments for general department expenses; CITY AMOUNT Springfield, Mass $26.25 Yonkers, N. Y 24.06 Albany, N. Y 19. 17 Des Moines, Iowa 17-55 Hoboken, N. J 17.13 Troy, N. Y 16.89 Somerville, Mass 16. 10 Lynn, Mass IS • 58 Waterbury, Conn 14-83 Duluth, Minn 14.64 Utica, N. Y 14.62 M Akron, Ohio 14.07 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 151 (,j^Y *■ AMOUNT Manchester, N. H $i4-05 Schenectady, N. Y H-OO Lawrence, Mass i3-o9 Camden, N. J 13-34 Elizabeth, N. J 12.64 Harrisburg, Pa 12.16 Erie, Pa ii-72 Evansville, Ind iO-96 Passaic, N. J 10.95 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 10.89 Fort Wayne, Ind 10.22 Average $i5-03 The median for the group is Akron, Ohio, with a per capita expenditure for general departmental purposes of $14.07. Utica's rank in this respect is number 11 in the group of twenty-three, or just above the median. The average per capita expenditure for these cities for general government maintenance was $15.03. The expenditure of $14.62 for Utica was therefore 41 cents below the average for the group. Having determined Utica's position as of nearly median rank in respect to general departmental expenditures, it is of interest to note the relative rank with respect to the maintenance cost of schools. The lowest of the group is Manchester, N. H., with a per capita expenditure of $3.50 for school maintenance. The highest is Des Moines, Iowa, where the per capita maintenance cost of schools is $9. The complete table is as follows : Table 34 Per capita payments for maintenance of schools, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Des Moines, Iowa •. $9.00 Springfield, Mass 8.90 Yonkers, N. Y 7-74 Hoboken, N. J 7- 15 Akron, Ohio 6.61 Duluth, Minn 6.28 Waterbury, Conn 5-87 Somerville, Mass 5 • S6 ^Harrisburg, Pa. 5-54 Camden, N. J 5 • 50 Schenectady, N. Y 5-42 M Passaic, N. J 5-34 Albany, N. Y 5- 18 AMOUNT $4 87 4 83 4 75 4 74 4 72 4 49 4 49 4 33 4 28 3 50 I<52 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK CITY Erie, Pa Utica, N. Y Troy, N. Y Elizabeth, N.J Lawrence, Mass Lynn, Mass Evansville, Ind Fort Wayne, Ind Wilkes-Barre, Pa Manchester, N. H Average $5 . 6i The median for the twenty-three cities is Passaic, N. J., with a per capita maintenance cost of schools of $5.34. Utica's rank in this respect is number 15 or three below the median. The average for the entire group is $5.61 per capita. Utica expends per capita for school maintenance $4.83 or 78 cents less than the average. The relative position of Utica in the two tables is of special interest, being number 11 in per capita general departmental expenditures and number 15 in per capita maintenance cost of schools. While Utica is slightly above the median in the general government main- tenance cost, the rank is lower, three below the median, when based on the per capita maintenance cost of schools. It is apparent from the two tables given above that there is a wide variation in different cities in the percentages of general depart- mental expenditures used for school maintenance. In Des Moines, Iowa, this percentage is 51.3 while in Manchester, N. H., only 24.9 per cent of general departmental expenditure is used for school maintenance. In the following table, the cities of this group are ranked on the basis of this percentage : Table 35 Per cent of general department expenses used for school maintenance, 1917 CITY PER CENT Des Moines, Iowa. 51-3 Passaic, N. J 48.7 Akron, Ohio 47 . Harrisburg, Pa 45 . 5 Duluth, Minn 42 . 9 Fort Wayne, Ind 42.4 Hoboken, N. J 41 . 7 Erie, Pa 41 .6 Camden, N. J 41 . 2 Evansville, Ind 41.0 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 183 PER CENT CITY 39.5 Waterbury, Conn M Wilkes-Barre, Pa ^g'^ Schenectady, N. Y " Elizabeth, N. J " Somerville, Mass "^ Lawrence, Mass ' Springfield, Mass '^ Utica, N. Y.. ; ^;^ Yonkers, N. "^ ^g g Lvnn, Mass ^g ^ Troy-N.Y ;;^ Albany, N. Y ' Manchester, N. H - - Average ^ In the city of Utica 33.1 per cent of the general departmental expenditures are for the maintenance of schools. The median for the twenty-three cities in the group is 39-3 Pe^ cent. Utica's posi- tion is number 18 in the group, or six below the median. The aver- age for all the cities in the list is 38 per cent, which is 4-9 per cent above the per cent for Utica. In this table the per cent of general maintenance funds used for the schools varies from approximately one-fourth to one-half. It is observed that each of the five New York cities in the group is below the median. Of the six lowest in the table, four are cities of New York, and these four (see table 33) are among the highest in rank in the per capita general departmental maintenance expenses. It seems to be apparent that several cities below the median m table 35 are not spending a reasonable amount for educational pur- poses, especially where a high position in table 33 is followed by a much lower position in table 34- The position of Utica m this respect is not one of which the city may be proud. The per capita maintenance costs given above have not taken into consideration the differences in the percentages of pupils in the school systems of the different cities. Camden, N. J., which is first in the group in population is sixth in the number of pupils in average daily attendance in the public schools. The city of Albany which is number 2 in the group in population is number 11 in the number of pupils in average daily attendance m school. Utica which is in the median city of the group in population, has more nearly a median rank (number 15) in the number of pupils in average daily attendance. Two important factors which enter into the percentage of attendance in the public schools are the 184 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK number of private parochial schools in a city and the percentage of the population of school age. In the report of the Census Bureau for 1910 the percentage of the population in these cities betvv^een 5 and 15 years of age varied from 20.1 per cent in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. to 14.9 per cent in Albany, N. Y. In Utica the percentage is 16.2, which is slightly less than the median for the group. It is therefore of interest to show the maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance. This is given for these twenty-three cities in the following table: Table 2^ Maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance^ CITY Springfield, Mass. Hoboken, N. J Yonkers, N. Y Troy, N. Y Fort Waj'ne, Ind Des Moines, Iowa Camden, N.J Albany, N. Y Erie, Pa Utica, N. Y M Evansville, Ind Schenectady, N. Y Passaic, N. J Harrisburg, Pa Lawrence, Mass Lynn, Mass Manchester, N. H Akron, Ohio Waterburjr, Conn Somerville, Mass ." Wilkes-Barre, Pa Duluth, Minn Statistics not given Elizabeth, N. J Statistics not given Average $44 . 78 Of the twenty-one cities (statistics from two cities not available) the highest cost per pupil was $60.87 in Springfield, Mass., and the lowest was $32.74 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance in Utica was $43.87. The median for the group is Evansville, Ind., with a per pupil cost of $43.80. The average for the entire group is $44.78. Utica, therefore, shows a per pupil maintenance cost 7 cents higher than the median, and MOUNT $60.87 59 03 55 30 54 17 53 46 51 47 46 59 46 51 45 96 43 87 43 80 43 69 43 II 4^ 09 42 40 36 78 36 76 35 25 33 46 32 88 32 74 1 From Report of the United States Commissioner of Education, 1917. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 1 85 91 cents lower than the average for the group. The people of the city should not be entirely satisfied with a median rank in this respect. Inasmuch as the program of work for the school system of Utica does not include many of the important activities of the more progressive school systems, there is reason to believe that a larger per pupil expenditure is necessary if the schools are to do what they should for the pupils and for the community. There is a great difference in the estimated true value of property per capita in the twenty-three cities of this group. In Duluth, Minn., the per capita estimated true value of property is $1906.35 while in Passaic, N. J., it is only $680.58. The rank of each city is seen in the following table : • Table 37 Estimated true value of property per capita, 1917 (>j^Y AMOUNT Duluth, Minn $1906.35 Springfield, Mass i905-03 Akron, Ohio 1596-80 Yonkers, N. Y 1S71.21 Des Moines, Iowa 1510.65 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 1359-25 Albany, N. Y 1204. rs Fort Wayne, Ind 1 131 - 40 Waterbury, Conn 1037-OO Harrisburg, Pa 972-43 Manchester, N. H '. 952.41 M Hoboken, N. J 943-20 Lynn, Mass 923.00 Somerville, Mass 912.02 Evansville, Ind 903-78 Erie, Pa 883.42 Lawrence, Mass 826 . 19 Troy, N. Y 816.66 Elizabeth, N. J ^6.29 Utica, N. Y 774-77 Schenectady, N. Y 741-42 Camden, N. J 687-79 Passaic, N. J 680.58 Average $1088.95 The median of the group is Hoboken, N. J., with an estimated true value of property per capita of $943.20. The rank of Utica in this respect is one of the lowest, number 20, only three cities of the group being lower. Utica is therefore not a city of large wealth. l86 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In this connection it may be of interest to note the real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance. This is deter- mined by combining tables 37 and 34. The amount for each city of the group is given in the following table : Table 38 Real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Wilkes-Barre, Pa $3I5 Duluth, Minn 301 Manchester, N. H 272 Fort Wayne, Ind 261 Akron, Ohio 242 Albany, N. Y 232 Springfield, Mass 214 Lynn, Mass 205 Yonkers, N. Y 202 Evansville, Ind 201 Erie, Pa 181 M Waterbury, Conn ; . . . 176 Lawrence, Mass I75 Harrisburg, Pa 175 Troy, N. Y 171 Elizabeth, N. J 170 Somerville, Mass 164 Utica, N. Y 160 Des Moines, Iowa IS7 Schenectady, N. Y 136 Hoboken, N. J 131 Passaic, X. J 127 Camden, N. J 125 Average $195 From table 38 it is observed that in the cities of this group the average real wealth back of each dollar expended for school main- tenance is $195. The highest of the group, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has $315 in real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance; while in Camden, N. J., for each dollar expended for school main- tenance there is real wealth amounting to only $125. The median for the group is $176. The real wealth back of each dollar expended for the schools in Utica is $160, or $16 below the median of the group. The per capita tax levy in the twenty-three cities of the group is given in the following table : REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 187 * Table 39 Tax levy per capita, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Yonkers, N. Y $35 • 18 Springfield, Mass 33-91 Albany, N. Y 27.03 Des Moines, Iowa 25 . 76 Akron, Ohio • 24.63 Duluth, Minn 23.83 Troy, N. Y 22.01 Schenectady, N. Y 21.35 Hoboken, N. J. • 20.88 Utica, N. Y 20.85 Somerville, Mass i9-Si M Lynn, Mass 19-39 Waterbury, Conn 19-35 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 18. 12 Harrisburg, Pa 16.95 Evansville, Ind 16. 83 Fort Wayne, Ind 16.48 Elizabeth, N. J ■ 16.04 Lawrence, Mass 15-53 Manchester, N. H 14-85 Erie, Pa I4- 13 Camden, N. J 13-74 Passaic, N. J 13. 11 Average $20.41 Utica is slightly above the median position in this respect with a per capita tax levy in 1917 of $20.85. The median city of the group, Lynn, Mass., has a per capita tax levy of $19.39. The group of twenty-three cities shows a wide range in this respect, from Yonkers, N. Y., with a per capita tax levy of $35.18, to Passaic, N. J., where the per capita tax levy is $13.11. The average for the group is $20.41, which is 44 cents less than the amount for Utica. To give a more accurate comparison between the relative tax levies in the cities of the group, a table is presented showing the tax levy per $1000 based on the estimated true value of property. This table shows the cities of the group arranged in rank as deter- mined by the tax burden per $1000 of real property value. The highest is Troy, N. Y., with a tax levy per $1000 (estimated true value) of $34.62. Duluth, Minn., is the lowest in the group with a tax levy per $1000 based on the estimated true value of property, of only $10.39. l88 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Table 40 Tax levy per $1000 estimated true value, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Troy, N. Y $34-62 Schenectady, N. Y 28.87 Utica, N. Y 26 . 95 Albany, N. Y 22.54 Yonkers, N. Y 22.43 Hoboken, N. J 22.19 Somerville, Mass ; 21.40 Lynn, Mass 21.00 Camden, N. J 19-99 Elizabeth, N J 19.90 Passaic, N. J i9-30 M Lawrence, Mass 18.80 Waterbury, Conn 18.65 Evansville, Ind 18.61 Springfield, Mass 17.80 Des Moines, Iowa 17-04 Harrisburg, Pa. 16.99 Erie, Pa 15-73 Manchester, N. H i5-44 Akron, Ohio I5-40 Fort Wayne, Ind 14-49 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 12.86 Duluth, Minn 12. 50 Average $19-72 The median city for the group is Lawrence, Mass., with a tax levy per $1000 estimated true value of property, $18.80. Utica's rank in this table is high, with a tax levy of $26.95. Only two cities in the group are higher than Utica. In other words, Utica's tax levy based on the estimated true value of property, which is num- ber 3 in this group of twenty-three cities, indicates that the total annual budget is relatively large in comparison with the low esti- mated true value of property. A conspicuous fact is the position of the five New York cities of the group which top the list. To what extent the bonded indebtedness may increase the annual budget is an important factor in these comparative tables. Where the bonded indebtedness is large it results in an increased tax rate. In order to compare these cities in this respect the net debt per capita is given in table 41. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 189 * Table 41 Net debt per capita, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Yonkers, N. Y •. . . . $92.77 Akron, Ohio 85 . 49 Springfield, Mass 74-67 Duluth, Minn 72.29 Albany, N. Y 69.38 Troy, N. Y 62 . 07 V/aterbury, Conn 59-19 Hoboken, N. J 45-57 Schenectady, N. Y 45 28 Des Moines, Iowa 43 • 61 Camden, N. J 42.49 M Lynn, Mass 41 . 60 Passaic, N. J 40.68 Harrisburg, Pa 38.23 ^ Lawrence, Mass 36.94 Elizabeth, N. J '. 32 . 80 Wilkes-Barre, Pa 31 .97 Utica, N. Y 31-97 Evansville, Ind 24. 75 Erie, Pa 24.38 Somerville, Mass 19.86 Manchester, N. H 18.09 Fort Wayne, Ind 13. il ^^^erage $45.53 It is observed that Utica has a relatively low net debt per capita. In this g-roup of cities Utica's rank is number 18, with a per capita net debt of $36.40. The median of the group is $41.60, while the average is $45.53. In this respect the financial burden seems so low that any reasonable increase in the bonded indebtedness for needed improvements might be made without embarrassment. ■ Comparison with Fourteen other Cities in New York The first part of this chapter has considered for purposes of com- parison the twenty-two cities in the northern and western states nearest to Utica in population. For the purpose of determining the relative rank of Utica in comparison with other cities in New York, the following discussion is presented covering the cities of New York between 30,000 and 160,000 inhabitants. Although these cities vary widely in their population, they furnish the opportunity for an interesting study as they are operating under the same general conditions in the same state. Each city has, of 190 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK course, its peculiar social and economic problems. Some of these cities are part of a large metropolitan population, others are at a distance from the larger municipalities and are the center of their own social and industrial activities. With these differences clearly in mind, the comparisons may be helpful. The fifteen cities in this group, their population in 1917, and the per capita payments for general city departmental expenses are given in the following table : Table 42 Population and per capita payments for general city departmental expenses, 1917 CITY POPULATION Syracuse IS5 624 Albany 106 003 Yonkers 99 838 Schenectady 99 5i9 Utica 87 401 Troy ^7 916 Binghamton 53 973 M Elmira 38 120 New Rochelle 2>7 759 Auburn .' zi 604 Niagara Falls ; Z7 353 Mount Vernon Z7 336 Amsterdam 'ij 103 Jamestown 36 722 Poughkeepsie 30 390 PER CAPITA CITY PAYMENTS Yonkers $24.06 Mount Vernon 23 . 63 New Rochelle 22. 16 Niagara Falls 20.07 Albany 19-17 Syracuse i7-44 Troy 16.89 M Poughkeepsie 16 . 27 Binghamton 16 . 07 Elmira 15 '62 Jamestown 14-76 Utica 14 . 62 Auburn 14- 58 Schenectady 14. 00 Amsterdam 9.93 Average $17.28 The Miller Street School Erected in 1871. Remodelled in 1909. School No. 19 Erected in 1892. Grounds ample but unimproved. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM IQI Of the fifteen cities in this group, Utica is number 5 in respect to population and number 12 in the per capita payments for general • city departmental expenses. The average for the group for the year was $17.28; Utica's per capita payments for this purpose were $1462 Utica was therefore $2.66 below the group average and $1 65 below the median for the group. This table of course does not take into consideration interest charges or expenditures for capi- tal outlay. It is therefore a fair comparison of the governmental maintenance cost of the cities of the group. It is observed that Utica is one of the lowest of the group in the per capita mainten- ance cost for the city government. The following table shows the per capita payments in the year 1917 for the maintenance of schools in the fifteen cities of this group: Table 43 Per capita payments for maintenance of schools, 1917 AMOUNT CITY ... $9-82 Mount Vernon ^ ,. 1 7-74 Yonkers New Rochelle J'"° 6.22 Elmira ^ Niagara Falls ^'^^ Jamestown Schenectady ^''^^ M Binghamton ^' Poughkeepsie ^ ' Albany ^ " Syracuse ^/^ Utica "^-^3 Troy ••• 4.75 Auburn ^'^^ Amsterdam ■^'^^ Average $5-75 On the basis of the per capita payments for school maintenance as given in the preceding table, Utica ranks number 12 in the group. The per capita payments for school maintenance in Utica m 191 7 were $4.83, which was 92 cents below the average and 58 cents below the median for the group. It is observed that the position of Utica in this group in respect to the per capita payments for the maintenance of schools is relatively the same as the rank of the city in the group in respect to the per capita payments for general city departmental expenses. Utica occupies approximately a low rank in this group in the per capita maintenance cost for schools. Of the fifteen cities there are eleven higher than Utica and three lower than 192 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Utica in this respect. It should be observed in this connection that the relative position of Utica in the per capita maintenance cost of schools among the fifteen New York cities is approximately the same as the position of the city in the group of twenty-three cities throughout the northern and western states as given in table 34. In each table the position of Utica is considerably below the median. It is of interest to note the percentage of general city departmental expenses used for the maintenance of the schools. This is given for the city of this group in the following table : Table 44 Per cent of general city departmental expenses used for the schools, 1917 CITY PER CENT Mount Vernon ■ 41 . 5 Elmira 39.9 Schenectady 38.7 Jamestown 37 . 7 New Rochelle 34.8 Binghamton 33 . 6 Amsterdam 33 . 5 M Utica 33 . 1 Poughkeepsie 32. 5 Yonkers 32.2 Auburn 29.7 Syracuse 28. 7 Niagara Falls 28.4 Troy 28 . 2 Albany 27 . Average 33.3 It is observed from this table that the percentage of general city departmental expenses used for the maintenance of schools varies from 27 in Albany, which is the lowest, to 41.5 in Mount Vernon, the highest in the group. Utica occupies the median position in the list with a percentage of 33.1. As was observed in the previous tables, Utica's rank among the cities of this group as determined by the per capita maintenance cost for schools is low, as is also true of the rank of Utica based on the per capita cost for general city departmental expenses. The median position of Utica in the table which has just been given is also relatively low. The great importance of the public schools in our community life should result in a larger percentage of the general city departm.ental expenditures for their support. It may be observed by way of illustration that the city of Schenectady which has a relatively low REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I93 rank (number 14) in the group in the per capita payments for general city departmental expenses, is the third in rank in the percentage of general departmental expenses for the maintenance of schools. The cities in this group, do not compare favorably with the group of twenty-three cities from various states used in the comparative tables in the first part of this chapter in the per cent of general departmental payments for school maintenance. These percentages for the cities throughout the north and west vary from 24.2 to 51.5. The average for the larger group is 38 while the average for the group in New York is 33.3. The median for the larger group is 39.3 while the median for the group in New York is 33.1. The larger group is essentially a group of eastern cities. It seems, therefore, to be evident that the median percentage of 33.1 for the cities in this group in New York is a relatively low percentage of general city departmental expenses to be used for school main- tenance. The city of Utica, which is number 8 in rank in this respect among the fifteen cities in New York, ranks as number 18 among the twenty-three cities in the larger group. Of the fifteen cities in the New York group, only two cities are above the average for the group of twenty-three cities from the several states. Only two of the fifteen cities of New York are above the median for the group of twenty-three cities. As the per capita maintenance cost of schools does not take into consideration differences in the percentage of children of school age in the population of the different cities or make any allowance for the children who may be in private or parochial schools, it is interest- ing to consider the per pupil cost on the basis of the average number of pupils under instruction. In determining school costs on this basis, a very satisfactory comparison is on the maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance. The following table gives the maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance in the fifteen cities of New York in this group for the school year 1917-18: Table 45 Maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance, 1917-181 CITY COST Mount Vernon $67.24 Troy , 65 , 94 New Rochelle 63 . 59 Yonkers 63 . 36 Albany 56.88 1 Annual Report, New York State Education Department, Albany. 194 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Elmira $5473 Binghamtou 53 • 06 M Auburn 51-94 Schenectady 50.98 Utica 50 . 96 Niagara Falls 45 . 36 Jamestown 44-78 Syracuse 43 . 35 Poughkeepsie 40-45 Amsterdam 37-39 Average $52.66 This table shows that the maintenance cost per pupil in average daily attendance in these cities for the school year 191 7-18 varied from $37.39 in Amsterdam to $67.24 in Alount Vernon. The aver- age for the group was $52.66 and the median cost for each pupil was $51.94. Utica expended for school maintenance $50.96 for each pupil in average daily attendance, which was $1.70 less than the group average and 98 cents, less than the median cost. In comparison, therefore, with these other cities, Utica occupies a position below the median of the group in the maintenance cost of the city schools as determined by the number of pupils in average daily attendance. In comparison with the twenty-three cities in table 36, it is observed that the relative position of Utica is just above the median position, while among the cities in New York the rank is below the median for the group. It should be noted in this connection that the statistics given for the twenty-three cities in table 36 are for the school year 1915-16, while the tables which have been given above for the cities of New York cover the school year 1917-18. This will explain in large part the increase in the average for the two groups, which is $44.78 for the group of twenty-three cities for the school year 1915-16, and $52.66 for the group of fifteen cities in New York for the school year 191 7-18. It is evident that there has been a great increase in the cost of school maintenance as there has been in all other activities throughout the country during the past few years. Taking the five New York cities which are common to both groups, it may be noted that the maintenance cost for each pupil in average daily attendance has increased in this two-year period from 16.1 per cent in Utica to 22.3 per cent in Albany. This is a very conservative advance in per pupil maintenance cost, espe- cially in view of the fact that the past year has been under most unusual war conditions. These two tables, therefore, should not be REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I95 used for making comparative statements" as to cost between the two groups without noting that they cover periods two years apart. The per capita estimated true value of property in any city bears a close relation to the cost of city government. The following table gives the per capita estimated true value of property in the cities of the group for 1917: Table 46 Estimated true value of property per capita, 1917 CITY VALUE Yonkers $1571.21 New Rochelle 1366.60 Mount Vernon 1344.09 Syracuse 1206.78 Albany 1204.15 Poughkeepsie 1 192.90 Niagara Falls 1 149.02 M Jamestown 935 . 57 Binghamton 924.79 Elmira 844.37 Troy 816.66 Utica 774 . 77 Schenectady 741 .42 Auburn 720.17 Amsterdam 719.07 Average $1034.10 On the basis of the per capita estimated true value of property, Utica is number 12 in the group of fifteen cities. The per capita estimated true value of property in Utica is %']'j/!if.'j'j, while the median for the group is $935.57. In the group of twenty-three cities which were considered in the first part of the chapter, Utica's rank was number 20. The median for the twenty-three cities in the several states was $943.20, while the median estimated true value of property per capita in the fifteen cities of New York is $935.57. The position of Utica is, therefore, relatively lower in the larger group. The medians seem to indicate that the estimated true value of property in. the group of fifteen cities in New York is slightly less than in the twenty-three cities from the different states. By comparing the preceding table with the per capita maintenance cost of schools as given in table 43, it is possible to determine the amount of real wealth back of each dollar used for school main- tenance. This is given for the cities of this group in the following table : 196 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Table 47 Real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Syracuse $241 Albany 232 Poughkeepsie 225 Amsterdam 216 Yonkers 202 Niagara Falls 201 New Rochelle I77 Troy 171 M Binghamton 170 Jamestown 167 Auburn 165 Utica 160 Schenectady 136 Mount Vernon 136 Elmira 135 Average $176 From this table it is observed that the real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance in the city of Utica is somewhat below the median of the group, Utica's rank being number 10 in the group of fifteen cities. It is also observed that the median for the group of 15 cities which is $170 is less than the median of the group of twenty-three cities given in table 38, the median for the larger group being $176. The per capita tax levy in each of the fifteen cities of the group is given in the following table: Table 48 Per capita tax levy, 191 7 CITY , AMOUNT New Rochelle . .' $36-95 Yonkers 35 • 18 Mount Vernon 32. 19 Albany 27.03 Niagara Falls 25.97 Syracuse 23.67 Poughkeepsie 23 . 23 M Binghamton 23 . 12 Troy I 22 . 01 Schenectady 21 . 35 Utica 20.85 Auburn 20.47 Elmira 20.44 Jamestown 19.22 Amsterdam 15. 18 Average $24.46 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM I97 It appears from this table that the per capita tax levy in Utica is relatively low. The average for the group is $24.46, which is $3.61 higher than that for Utica. On the basis of the per capita tax levy Utica is number 1 1 in the group. It is observed that the per capita tax levy in this group is con- siderably higher than in the group of twenty-three cities given in table 39. The average for this group is $24.46 as compared with an average of $20.41 for the twenty-three cities. The median for this group is $23.12 while the median for the larger group is $19.39. While the rank of Utica in the larger group is above the median, in the smaller group its relative position is much lower. To present a comparison between the cities of the group showing the tax levy per $1000 based on the estimated true value of prop- erty, the following table is given : Table 49 Estimated true value of tax levy per $1000, 1917 ^^'^^ VALUE T^°y • • $34-62 Auburn ^q c j Schenectady 28 87 New Rochelle , 27 04 Utica '.'.■'.^■:^^' ■.■.■.■ ■.'.;.■ 26*95 Binghamton 2=5 . 00 Mount Vernon 2'? 02 M Elmira 23.73 Niagara Falls 22.61 A^'^any ■ ; ■ ■ 22.54 Yonkers 22.43 Amsterdam 21 07 Jamestown ''''.''.'.'..'..'.'.' 2o's2 Syracuse j^j^j Poughkeepsie j^^^, Average ..$24.60 It will be observed from the preceding table that in Utica the general property tax rate based on the estimated true value of property is somewhat above the median for the group, the median being $23.73 while the estimated true value of tax levy per $1000 for the city of Utica is $26.95. In comparison, therefore, with the other cities of New York, Utica occupies a relatively high rank in respect to the estimated true value of the tax levy. In this table the estimated true value of the tax levy per $1000 varies from $19.47 to $34.62. It may be observed that in the group 198 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK of twenty-three cities discussed earlier in the chapter, the estimated true value of the tax levy per $1000 varies from $12.50 to $34.62, the median for the group of these twenty-three cities being $18.80. Thus, in every city of the group of fifteen cities in New York, the estimated true value of the tax levy is above the median of the group of twenty-three cities ; and the rank of Utica, whose estimated true value of tax levy is number 5 in the group of fourteen cities, is number 3 in the group of twenty-three cities. It has also been observed that in the group of twenty-three cities the five cities from New York are the five highest in rank in the estimated true value of the tax levy. The cost of government in these cities is unusually high. The general property tax, therefore, for all governmental cost payments is apparently higher in the cities making up the group of fifteen from New York than in the group of twenty-three cities from the various states. As the interest charges must be met through the general property tax, it may be well to note the comparative figures given in the following table showing the net debt per capita of the cities in this group for 1917 : Table 50 Net debt per capita, 1917 CITY AMOUNT Mount Vernon $111.84 Yonkers 92-77 New Rochelle 84. 72 Niagara Falls 83.36 Elmira 72.51 Albany 69.38 Syracuse 63.98 M Troy 62.07 Jamestown 48.31 Schenectady 45-28 Binghamton 38.39 Utica 31-97 Amsterdam 30-42 Poughkeepsie 17.20 Auburn 14.29 Average $57-77 In this group of cities the net debt per capita is the largest in Mount Vernon, where it amounts to $111.84, and the smallest in Auburn, where the net debt per capita is $14.29. Utica is num- ber 12 in the group with a net debt per capita of $31.97. The median for the cities of this group is $62.07. In comparison, therefore, with REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 199 the cities in this group the net debt per capita in Utica is low, as only three cities in the group have a lower rank in this respect. Utica occupies relatively a similar position in the group of twenty- three cities as may be observed from table 41. It may be noted that while the median for the net debt per capita for the fifteen cities in New York is $62.07, the median for the group of twenty-three cities in other states is $41.60. Utica more nearly approaches the average of the net debt per capita in the group of twenty-three cities than in the group of fifteen cities in New York. It is of interest in view of the comparisons which have already been made in this chapter between the two general groups of cities to analyze somewhat more in detail the expenditures within the school systems of the New York cities. In the table below is given the distribution of each dollar of the total current expense for each city. This is divided into general control, expenses of instruction, operation of school plant, maintenance of school plant, auxiliary agencies, and fixed charges. The cities have been arranged alpha- betically in the list. Table 51 Distribution of each dollar of total current expenses for 1917-18 GENERAL EXP. OF school' PLANT AUXIL- FIXED CONTROL INSTRUC- IARY CHARGES TION Opera- tion Main- tenance AGENCIES .025 .760 • 155 .030 .029 .001 .049 .732 .130 .027 .042 .020 .041 .727 .153 .036 .015 .027 .027 .738 .160 .028 .030 .017 ■ 037 .737 .164 .030 .018 .014 .040 -7IS .167 .050 .019 .009 .047 .716 .117 .038 .066 .016 .032 • 756 .137 .033 .033 .009 .035 .750 . 129 .042 .021 .023 .056 .685 .161 .040 .028 .030 .028 .720 .148 .033 .044 .027 .024 .769 .112 .046 .029 .020 .033 .755 .159 .018 .028 .007 .031 ■739 .158 .034 .017 .021 .031 .785 .117 .045 .016 .006 10 7 6 8 13 5 TOTAL CURRENT EXPENSES Albany Amsterdam . . . Auburn Binghamton . . Elmira Jamestown Mount Vernon New Rochelle . Niagara Falls . Poughkeepsie . Schenectady. . Syracuse Troy Utica Yonkers Utica 's rank. . 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 1. 00 Utica is number 10 or somewhat below the median in percentage of expenditures for purposes of general control. For the operation of the school plant these cities use from 11.2 per cent to 16.7 per cent of the total current expenses. Utica uses 16 per cent and ranks number 6. It is the judgment of those making the survey that the money expended for the operation of the school plant does 200 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK not bring the largest possible return. A more efficient program for the supervision of buildings and direction of the janitorial v^ork is needed. In the maintenance of the school plant, Utica holds a median rank, being number 8 in the group. In expenditures for auxiliary agencies Utica's percentage is very low, number 13 among the fifteen cities. In other words, in expenditures for books for libraries, medical inspection, community centers, social centers, recreation and other auxiliary activities, Utica's rank is very low, only two cities of the group showing a lower percentage of expendi- tures for these purposes. The rank given at the foot of the table shows the relative position of Utica as compared with the different cities. The table gives some interesting facts with regard to the per- centage of funds used for instruction purposes. It is observed that in all the cities of the group there is a rather striking ratio which this part of the budget bears to the total school costs. The exper-^es of instruction in these cities are between 68.5 per cent and 78.5 per cent of the total expenditures for school maintenance. The following table gives this percentage for each city of the group : Table 52 Percentage of maintenance expenses used for instruction purposes CITY PER CENT Yonkers 78-5 Syracuse 76-9 Albany 76.0 New Rochelle 75-6 Troy 75-5 Niagara Falls 75 -O Utica 73-9 M Binghamton 73-8 Elmira 1Z-7 Amsterdam 73-2 Auburn 72.8 Schenectady 72-0 Mount Vernon 71 -6 Jamestown 7i • 5 Poughkeepsie 68.5 It may be observed that Utica is slightly above median rank in the percentage of school maintenance expenditures used for instruc- tion purposes. It was stated in the chapter on the teaching staff that the number of pupils in average daily attendance per teacher was normal in REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 201 the elementary grades and in the high school. In order to show the instruction (salary) cost per pupil in average daily attendance in the elementary grades and in the high school, tables 53 and 54 have been prepared. Table 53 shows the salary cost per pupil m the elementary grades in the fifteen cities. Table 53 Salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance 1917-18, in elementary schools AMOUNT CITY Troy $40.15 New Rochelle ^^'^'^ Yonkers ^'^ '^ Mount Vernon ^"^'^^ Utica 33-23 Elmira 33-02 Albany 32-65 M Schenectady 31-54 Binghamton "^,^8 Auburn ^^' ^ Niagara Falls ^' ' Syracuse ^ Jamestown 23 . 37 Amsterdam ' ^ Poughkeepsie ° " The salary cost per pupil in these cities varies from $40.15 m Troy to $20.81 in Poughkeepsie. Utica's rank in this respect is somewhat above the median. The salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance in Utica is $33.23 or $1.69 above the median for the group. In table 54 is given the salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance in the high schools in the fifteen cities : Table 54 Salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance in high school, 1917-18 CITY ^^°^^^ Yonkers ^f'f^ Binghamton • • • ■ • ^"^^ New Rochelle ^-^3 Mount Vernon ^6.85 Albany 69.16 Utica ^5-^3 Niagara Falls ^^'^S M Syracuse 01 . 73 Auburn ^^'^3 202 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK CITY AMOUNT Schenectady $60.52 Jamestown 57-75 Troy 54.68 Amsterdam Si-35 Elmira 46 . 58 Poughkeepsie 43 ■ 05 It will be observed that in the salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance in the high school, the rank of Utica is number 6 in the group of fifteen cities, which is only one position lower than the position of Utica in table 53, in which is given the salary cost per pupil in the elementary grades. Utica is therefore number 7 in the group in the percentage of expenditures used for instruction purposes, number 6 in the salary cost per pupil in the high school and number 5 in the salary cost per pupil in the elementary grades. Taking all schools of the city as a whole, the salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance in Utica is $36.41. In this com- parison Utica is number 8, or the median, in the group of fifteen cities. The salary cost per pupil in vocational subjects is of interest only in that Utica, although an industrial city, offers no vocational courses. Table 55 Salary cost per pupil in average daily attendance 1917-18 CITY VOCATIONAL ALL SCHOOLS New Rochelle $45.96 Yonkers $146.70 44.63 Troy 151-75 44-01 Mount Vernon 87.42 41.28 Elmira 161.37 37-76 Albany 136.95 37-71 Binghamton 71-85 37-24 M Utica 36.41 Schenectady 59-17 34-88 Auburn 34-50 Niagara Falls 31.07 Syracuse 30.45 Jamestown 68.18 28.71 Amsterdam 92.53 25.81 Poughkeepsie , 25 . 15 Among the conditions mentioned in earlier chapters, which con- tribute to Utica's median position, is the fact that the salary schedule although not high has resulted in a more satisfactory median salary than in some of the other cities. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 203 On the basis of cost of instruction Utica holds a median position. It is apparent, however, that the low rank of Utica in the percentage of expenditures for auxiliary agencies emphasizes strongly what has been brought out in earlier chapters that many of the important activities of our more progressive school systems are given little attention or are entirely omitted in the program offered in the Utica schools. How can we defend a program which gives setting-up exercises for a brief drill at the beginning of the class period, but gives no attention to the recreation period or the playground activi- ties? A school policy which leaves to the good will of a benevolent organization the support and supervision of summer playgrounds is most short-sighted.^ Without doubt public spirit would give every support to a complete program for the equipment of playgrounds in connection with every school in the city. All recreational activi- ties and vacation schools should be organized and supervised by the public school authorities. Community centers and social center activities are given too little attention and too little support by the public school authorities. The anaij^sis of expenditures shows that little expenditure has been made on industrial and vocational work. Manual training has been given incidentally in the higher grades. Summary Utica shows a median rank among the cities of New York in respect to the percentage of general city departmental expenses used for school maintenance. This rank, however, is relatively low, as the New York cities show a very low percentage in this respect in comparison with cities of the same class in other states. Utica does not use a reasonable percentage of city maintenance funds for her educational needs. The cost of maintaining the schools in Utica for the school year 1 91 7-18 was $50.96 for each pupil in average daily attendance, which was considerably below the average for the New York group. Even a median position in support of public education is by no means a satisfactory standard. Utica is not a wealthy city. In comparison with the cities of the two groups Utica's rank in the per capita real value of property is low. It also ranks low in the real wealth back of each dollar used for school maintenance. ^ Since this report was prepared all plaj-ground activities have been organ- ized under a municipal playground commission. 204 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In the amount of the tax levy per capita Utica has a median rank among the twenty-three cities, and a low rank in the New York group. The tax levy per $1000 based on the estimated true value of property is high in the group from various states, as is true of all the New York cities, but Utica's rank is below the average in the New York group. The net debt per capita in Utica is very low, showing that the financial burden due to bonded indebtedness must be very light. The cities of New York seem to be spending too much money on the general departments of city government in comparison with the amounts expended for the maintenance of schools. In cities of the size of Utica in other states from one-third to one-half of the payments for general city departmental purposes are for school maintenance, while in the New York group the average is below one-third. On the basis of cost of instruction, Utica holds a median position among the cities of New York. For auxiliary agencies, including medical inspection, community centers, recreational activities and other purposes, the low rank of Utica indicates that adequate pro- vision is not made. The increase in school maintenance costs in the cities of New York from 1916 to 1918 has been exceedingly small as compared with the increase in maintenance cost of other activities. The average parent is not satisfied with mediocre school con- ditions. Excellent schools can not be maintained without a reason- able expenditure. Utica's median rank in this respect does not indicate a progressive and constructive school policy. A broad educational program would insure needed modern school accommo- dations for all the children of the city and enrich the school curri- culum so as to meet the diversified demands of the community. This could be carried forward without any undue financial burden. The school system is one of the most important activities of any com- munity. The public should insist that there be a constructive educa- tional program and that a reasonable share of the public funds be used in its support. School i8 Of verj^ little value for school purposes. One of the poorest buildings of the city. Adjacent to railroad yards. No playground. Should be abandoned. Should be abandoned, one-room building. The Prospect School Needs have far outgrown the capacity of this II HEALTH EDUCATION The general administration of the school medical inspection and physical training laws is under the direction of the superintendent of schools and the regulations of the board of education relative to this field are administered by him. This is done through the agencies of the school medical inspectors, the school nurses, a supervisor of physical training and the regular teachers. Tvi^o members of the present board of education are physicians, one of whom is the committee on hygiene of the board of education. Matters pertaining to health and sanitation are referred by the board to this committee on hygiene. Both of the physicians, how- ever, cooperate to contribute to the successful administration of the work. The plan of organization of the health education work in Utica is as follows: Board of Education Committee on Hygiene Superintendent of Schools Three School Medical Inspectors Three School Nurses One Supervisor of Physical Training Teaching Staff Three school medical inspectors are employed in the public school system. One renders full-time service while two are employed on half time. The medical inspector giving full time to [205] 206 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK the schools devotes to the service the hours from lo a. m. to 12 m. and from 1.30 to 3.30 p. m. He receives an aimual compensation of $2250. Beyond the hours of service mentioned, he is subject to call to meet emergencies which may arise at any other time. The two other school medical inspectors serve from 9.30 to 11.30 a. m. and from 1.30 to 3.30 p. m., respectively, on school days. These inspectors each receive an annual compensation of $1000. The full-time medical inspector has charge of one-half of the schools of the city while the part-time physicians look after the other schools. Each medical inspector has a definite schedule of assignment throughout the week. As an illustration of the method of assign- ment, the following weekly program of the full-time medical inspector may be noted: Typical Schedule of School Medical Inspector Days School Monday A.M Brandegee P.M. Potter Tuesday A.M Mandeville Francis P.M Wetmore Wednesday A.M '. . Academy P.M Number 18 Thursday A.M Brandegee " P.M Miller Friday A.M Wetmore Prospect P.M South Union The medical inspector on reaching the school gives attention to such pupils as are sent to him by either the school nurse or the classroom teachers. An effort is made to have each pupil in the city schools examined at least once each year by either the school medical inspector or the school nurse. That this is not fully accomplished is shown by the summary for the year's work given later in the chapter. Monthly reports are submitted to the super- intendent of schools by each of the medical inspectors as to the examinations made, conditions found and results. This report also includes inspections and other service rendered by the school nurse. Instructional literature issued under the direction of the school medical inspectors has been found very helpful. Among these circulars were the following : " The Hygiene of the Class Room," " Suggestions to Parents," " Suggestions for Guidance of Teacher." These various pamphlets or leaflets are utilized by both the medical inspector and school nurse and have been found to be practical and useful in both the school and the home. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 207 Three full-time school nurses are employed. These nurses give all their time to the service. The entire day is spent visiting the schools, and home visits are made on Saturday mornings. The salary paid each nurse is $1080 a year. The school physician is always accompanied by a nurse during his inspectional work. The nurses do not specialize in any feature of the work. Definite school assignments are made to each nurse to cover the week's program. The nurse is required to submit weekly reports as to her work to the medical inspector of schools, who in turn reports to the superintendent of schools. The principal of each school also reports to the superintendent as to the visitation and services of the school nurse. School medical inspection is of value largely not because of the mere inspectional service but rather in terms of the corrective results which follow efficient service of this character. Through the efforts of the school physicians and the school nurse, much corrective work is done. Parents are notified by the medical inspector and the school nurse of existing defects and are requested to see that prompt and proper attention is given. In many instances this is done, especially in American families. Oftentimes, the foreign parents give little or no heed to such notifications. If, after a reasonable time, it is found that no attention has been given to the notice, the school nurse visits the home, explains the child's condition to the parents and endeavors to see that needed attention is given so that the physical defects may be corrected. Where the parents are unable to give these matters necessary attention, a signed request is issued by the parent to the school nurse to have the necessary treatment given. The school nurses continue periodically to visit cases which have not been given proper corrective treatment. By this plan, many cases are given the necessary care and with very definite permanent results. Agencies Cooperating There are several agencies in the city of Utica cooperating for the relief or follow-up work needed in connection with the health education work. The Utica Dental Dispensary, though under the direction of the city authorities, is utilized almost entirely in caring for the teeth of school children. During the year ending July 31, 1917, 3447 treatments were recorded. A dentist paid by the city is in charge of the dispensary. 208 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK The following schedule of dispensary clinics is conducted by the Utica Medical and Surgical Dispensary and is available to the school children of Utica: Surgery Mon. Tue. Wed. Thur. Fri. Sat. 11-12 m. Medicine Mon. Fri. lo-ii a.m. Children Wed. Sat. 2- 3 p.m. Gynecology Mon. Thur. 2- 3 p.m. Orthopedic Tue. Sat. 2- 3 p.m. Skin Tue. 2- 3 p.m. Eye refractions Thur. 2 p.m. Ear, nose, throat 1 Tue. Sat. 8.30 a.m. Sore eyes J Tuberculosis Tue. Fri. 8.30 a.m. This offers an excellent opportunity to deal with both medical and surgical cases. For instance, during the school year 1916-17, 296 cases were reported as having been treated for defective nasal breathing and 788 for enlarged or diseased tonsils. A tuberculosis clinic is under the direction of the local tuber- culosis committee, which bears the entire expense of its adminis- tration. Suspicious cases are referred to the clinic for a careful physical examination as well as for the tuberculin test. Through the cooperation of the Associated Charities, glasses are furnished free to deserving school children where such are found to be needed. Last year 367 children with defective vision were reported as having received treatment, which probably indicated that glasses were furnished for that number. The city department of health and the medical inspection divi- sion of the city schools have an unusual opportunity to work in close cooperation. There should be a definite and clear under- standing between these two city health agencies. With close cooperation, unusual results should be accomplished. The Agency for Dependent Children, the City Hospital, and the Faxton Hospital have been very willing to cooperate in extending relief to deserving children. In the Faxton Hospital, two free beds are maintained for cases among needy children. Two open-air schoolrooms are maintained by the board of edu- cation. There are approximately twenty-five pupils in each room. None of these children is supposed to be tubercular. They are simply suspected cases. The children are selected by a committee representing the local Anti-Tuberculosis Association. A special teacher is in charge of each room. The children are given a specially prepared lunch at noon. They not only have a rest at midday but are given special consideration as to their physical con- REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 2O9 dition. These children frequently gain more rapidly than do others, both mentally and physically. During the summer a camp is main- tained by the tuberculosis committee, to which many children are sent and with decided benefit to their health. Statistical Summary of Report for the Year Ending July 31, 1917 Number of pupils registered 14,123 Number of pupils examined during year 6,198 Number of pupils found with defective vision 532 Number of pupils found with defective hearing 94 Number of pupils found with defective teeth 3 1457 Number of pupils found with defective nasal breathing 296 Number of pupils found with enlarged or diseased tonsils 788 Number of pupils found with defective nutrition 90 Number of pupils found with cardiac disease 63 Number of pupils found with pulmonary disease 18 Number of pupils found with nervous diseases 32 Number of pupils found with orthopedic defects 24 Number of pupils found with skin diseases or scalp conditions 545 Number of pupils found with other defects 186 Total number of defects found 6 , 425 Number of pupils treated for defective vision 365 Number of pupils treated for defective hearing 59 Number of pupils treated for defective teeth 2 ,927 Number of pupils treated for defective nasal breathing 185 Number of pupils treated for enlarged or diseased tonsils 181 Number of pupils treated for defective nutrition 7^ Number of pupils treated for cardiac disease 15 Number of pupils treated for pulmonary disease 18 Number of pupils treated for nervous diseases 31 Number of pupils treated for orthopedic defects 12 Number of pupils treated for skin diseases or scalp conditions 545 Number of pupils treated for other defects 186 Total number of defects corrected 4 > 604 Equals 70 per cent The city might well afford to pay a sufficient salary to command the full-time service of a school medical inspector or health director. The city pays $4250 each year for services of school medical inspectors. There should be a health director paid a sufficient salary to command full time to supervise all health activities of the schools. If this were done, possibly one of the assistant school medical inspectors might be dispensed with. Some reorganization of this character would give the schools the benefit of thorough expert advice and direction on all health problems connected with the schools. Suitable medical inspection facilities, including office and rest room, should be provided for this work. In fact, every new public school building should include an adequate medical inspection room. This is essential to the proper administration of the work. This work can not be properly conducted in halls nor in rooms 210 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK used for other purposes. There must be adequate facilities. It would be helpful in Utica if a central office, adequately equipped, were provided for school health service. Such an office should be centrally located, preferably in the administration building, or in a centrally located school. The director of health education should meet his coworkers in conference frequently to receive personal reports of special cases, to review the work accomplished, to formulate definite plans for the future, and to acquaint the stafif with the progress of the work as well as the policy of its administration. The teachers of the city schools should receive regular and definite instructions from the health director as to how they can assist more effectually in conserving the health of teachers and pupils, in teaching health habits, and in improving the general sanitary conditions of the school plant. It would appear from a thorough examination of the health pro- gram in the city that an extra nurse might be employed to advan- tage and also one dental hygienist. With a slightly enlarged staff it might be well to designate one of the nurses as supervising nurse. This would probably contribute to the efficiency of the service. It is quite probable that some increased latitude might be permitted under this arrangement in planning the work, while a general schedule of visits is wise and should be carried on. There is need for some greater scope and freedom in order that necessary home visits may be given attention wherever necessary on days other than Saturday. When a school nurse finds that urgent school duties call her elsewhere than to the school scheduled, there should be provision whereby these needs may be taken care of. While the nurse should be in constant touch with each one of the schools, it is easy to make provision whereby a somewhat larger scope may be permitted. It would be well if first-aid or medicine cabinets were installed in every school containing necessary supplies for the treatment of accidents and minor skin diseases. The inadequacy of the present system of physical training has been covered in the general chaipter on supervision. This work must be broadened very extensively and increased opportunities offered before it can be said to be on a reasonably satisfactory basis. In this respect the work is seriously handicapped in both elementary grades and in the high school. APPENDIX I Age and progress records of pupils ir September 191 7 Rapid progress in Utica graded schools, Potter Mandeville Union Bleecker Wetmore Albany Lansing . . Keman South Francis Miller Mary James Kemble No. 18 No. 19 No. 20 No. 21 Brandegee Prospect Deerfield No. i Deerfield No. 2 Schools combined. Potter Mandeville Union Bleecker Wetmore Albany Lansing Keman South Francis Miller Mary James Kemble No. tS N-.. 19 No. 20 No. 21 Brandegee Prospect Deerfield No. i Deerfield No. 2 Schools combined. YOUNG No. in school 4 2 8 o 6 o I 33 5 8 17 6 46 3 8 31 5 3 o 2 3 191 Per cent in school .009 .007 •033 .000 .006 .000 .003 ■039 .015 .053 ■045 .010 •045 .008 .024 .040 .017 • 003 .000 .100 .024 .0203 NORMAL AGE No. in school 3 3 17 2 19 o o 36 9 6 18 9 51 3 8 39 4 7 o o 4 238 Per cent in school .007 .011 .070 .004 .018 .000 .000 •043 .026 .040 .048 .016 .050 .008 .024 .051 .013 .007 .000 .000 .032 •0253 No. in school Normal progress 4 14 2 15 2 I 6 3 6 3 7 23 7 7 29 II 9 o o I 158 Per cent in school .018 .014 ■ 058 .004 .014 .006 • 003 .007 .009 .040 .008 .012 .023 .018 .021 .038 •037 .009 .000 .000 .008 .0168 14 •033 86 200 31 .072 4 .014 68 238 35 .122 5 .020 38 157 46 .190 2 .004 51 106 34 .070 9 .008 134 125 100 •093 4 .012 91 272 40 .119 I .003 55 177 25 .080 20 .024 202 239 81 .097 6 .016 63 184 31 .091 3 .020 52 347 16 .106 9 .024 156 418 2,7 .099 6 .010 122 215 43 .076 41 .040 277 273 120 .118 3 .008 133 347 26 .067 8 .024 127 385 19 •057 31 .040 238 309 78 .101 4 .013 98 335 27 .092 .000 71 075 37 .041 II .166 26 393 5 .076 .000 8 400 .000 I .008 41 328 21 .168 182 .0193 2 137 2274 852 .0907 [211] 212 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Slow progress No. in school Per cent in school NORMAL AGE No. in school Per cent in school No. in school Per cent in school Potter Mandeville Union Bleecker Wetmore Albany Lansing Keman South Francis Miller Mary James Kemble No. 18 No. 19 No. 20 No. 21 Brandegee Prospect Deerfield No. i Deerfield No. 2 Schools combined. .005 .000 .000 .002 .006 .000 .000 .003 .006 .007 .016 .003 .002 .005 .000 .007 .000 .000 .015 .000 .000 60 29 II 47 122 39 30 115 43 13 31 43 81 65 54 72 33 78 5 2 •139 .101 •045 .098 .114 .116 .096 .136 •125 .087 .082 .076 .080 .170 •159 .094 •113 .080 .076 .100 .056 223 141 102 344 659 159 197 348 181 45 98 330 375 141 lOI 245 IIO 753 18 8 47 •517 •493 •423 .712 .616 ■475 •635 .412 ■ 528 .300 .263 .581 •369 .368 •304 .318 •377 •783 .272 .400 •376 31 • 0033 1043 4 625 .4922 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 213 O4 CO m t^ Tt fO 't 1 "3 00 r- PO Ov II m M vo m in CO lO a H Oi >n t~ PI 1 H M 00 t^ i-i GJ S 13 bo a 00 ro ■* m M«' feo ■< -:(-■* 00 ^ M ^ N « (-0 00 « 'ta 0\ .2 " - r^ r* m H w ^0 I" JJ M N ^ t^ C oo 00 l-< (U H NO ^ -d nj II N M m fe ^ o ra mo ^ ■* ■H 00 M n m Ooo n 0\ rn m (N ino ^ (U H H cq t^ M ws OJ •d c3 ■*M CM r^ ^00 Ov H moo N QJ H "2 -d 00 ^ 0! bO < t/i *"* ■5f ^ ^M »n 00 bO < M N t^ M Tt -d m^o t^ pq t^ 00 m •* t- N Oi m ■* Gj t^ m m So H Oi op N m m CO H l-l bo <: 00 m H m m fe M m o> H OvO a PQ 00 •* " to "o ^ ■ ■ tS m S . 2 bo 1 5 g bom tf a :z M 214 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK In these age and progress records the standard used is one that has been recommended by the Superintendents Council for use in the State of New York and which has already been adopted and used by a large number of cities in the State. According to this standard the child is supposed to enter first grade not earlier than the first half nor later than the second half of his sixth year, and after spending eight years in the school to finish the grammar school before he is 15 years old. The age for beginning and the time spent in preparing for the beginning of each grade is as follows : Age for beginning I B 6 or 6| years 1 A 6J or 7 years 2 B 7 or 7^ years 2 A 7^ or 8 years 3 B 8 or 8^ years 3 A 8j or 9 years 4 B 9 or gi years 4A 9|orio years 5 B 10 or 10^ years 5 A io| or 1 1 years 6B II or III years 6 A Ill or 12 years 7 B 12 or 12I years 7 A 12I or 13 years 8 B 13 or 13I years 8 A 13I or 14 years According to this schedule, ages are considered as of the nearest birthday. Example : Any pupil whose date of birth falls between June I, 1 91 2, and December i, 191 2, is considered 5 years of age on September i, 1917. Normal time spent in preparing: For iB, o terms; lA, i term; 2B, 2 terms ; 2A, 3 terms ; 3B, 4 terms ; 3A, 5 terms ; 4B, 6 terms ; 4A, 7 terms; 5B, 8 terms; 5A, 9 terms; 6B, 10 terms; 6A, 11 terms; 7B, 12 terms; 7A, 13 terms; 8B, 14 terms; 8A, 15 terms. This record divides the children of the city into young, normal and overage groups, and also into rapid, normal and slow-progress groups, on the basis of the child's age and the number of terms taken to complete the work of the grades. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 215 X I— I Q Ph o CO O 1 — 1 m to 000000000 10 irjioO'O^ 100^^ J^ ooooooooo»p lOiOOvOvO o o^^ t^ i-H CO CO c<3 0100000>000»0»DO 10 M O O 00 10 t^\0 VO J-- t^ "^ C) 0) 1-1 ^» C>) O'OOOOOl'JOOiOiOCS 10 IN o o 00 10 t^\o \o r^ t^ 10 0) C4 1-1 P> C) OOOOOOiOOOOOOO to O to O 00 10 t^ t^vO On O lO 10 fvj 1-1 1-1 1-1 CN ^ O O 10 »0 lO 10 o 10 o r^ t^ r^ t~- "^ 100 o o »o o o o tOiO 10 10 O t^ t^ in M 000 10 o o "8 w) fc.S -d a, 3 Ah (-< t^ O rt H^ fin Ph O < IZ M M w^ U ^ a n u d -8 3 -*-• K^ ^ •a Tl 1 a 1 nJ ■ hi w ■ C ^ ^ (1) P) « a ^ a I 2 a; " Q -p >. ^ M ^ s a c C '.3 o o bo ^ § ^ c3 w ^ t> . ^^^^ .S _2 'U w -s '-' "" 2 •>5 -^ 'S w 5 2l6 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Courtis Standard Research Tests ARITHMETIC. TEST No. i. ADDITION Series B. Form 3 You will be given eight minutes to find the answers to as many of these addition examples as possible. Write the answers on this paper directly under- neath the examples. You are not expected to be able to do them all. You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right than to try a great many examples. 339 799 952 937 489 789 872 309 276 584 397 274 877 555 657 964 977 135 535 468 482 342 329 67.^ 861 647 669 836 645 908 794 437 757 624 386 323 761 471 563 338 698 512 974 485 598 896 128 591 269 146 458 357 352 123 856 636 136 699 702 925 431 637 962 704 322 109 397 819 367 254 287 119 125 473 782 485 781 602 761 656 767 318 403 539 945 770 978 282 632 2^2 555 285 574 358 820 878 306 857 688 147 497 625 747 390 290 425 349 875 926 348 504 614 949 693 814 387 832 584 939 563 883 469 397 126 668 992 485 207 418 954 966 604 303 645 268 791 574 346 329 418 729 377 356 138 595 399 907 735 246 356 250 845 303 275 293 354 357 409 707 372 587 583 468 512 400 970 442 689 281 777 272 695 579 648 991 835 776 841 753 849 782 593 697 426 642 656 836 402 691 861 754 745 624 924 969 987 968 938 836 813 958 365 637 298 834 223 788 197 139 463 293 128 125 555 177 686 Name Tl Age last hirthdnv boy or girl School . . Grade . . . . . . Room . . City State .Date REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 217 ARITHMETIC. TEST No. 2. SUBTRACTION Series B. Form 3 You will be given four minutes to find the answers to as many of these sub- traction examples as possible. Write the answers on this paper directly under- neath the examples. You are not expected to be able to do them all. You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right than to try a great many examples. 102142649 70428369 91885637 78379474 87168558 28712470 78052979 53180508 104282790 82189142 103576851 68206939 128727016 78446467 103402681 39072185 I 66445 I 44 92370981 92419377 76185529 66543809 50969657 139946090 56855354 104005367 69032848 145832674 67519824 1 1 7362829 53406479 59709356 38783059 107335579 73251951 1 80285140 97516829 69058074 19287549 I 17260448 62456180 91974723 33457690 159713482 65027308 118229101 26037484 85509051 68901 102 21 8 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK ARITHMETIC. TEST No. 3. MULTIPLICATION Series B. Form 3. You will be given six minutes to work as many of these multiplication examples as possible. You are not expected to be able to do them all. Do your work directly on this paper; use no other. You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right then to try a great many examples. 9237 4568 6845 3297 7239 27 85 63 49 36 8564 2397 5468 4592 8367 94 580 72 206 95 5429 7863 2459 3786 6873 48 73 59 84 62 9245 2739 8645 7923 4865 37 208 65 470 93 3792 6548 5846 9723 2549 39 82 74" 56 19 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 219 ARITHMETIC. TEST No. 4. DIVISION Series B. Form 3. You wiU be given eight minutes to work as many of these division examples as possible. You are not expected to be able to do them all. Do your work directly on this paper; use no other. You will be marked for both speed and accuracy, but it is more important to have your answers right than to try a great many examples. 26)7306 74)66822 38)10640 95)88445 62)25172 47)35297 83)62250 59)27199 47)12267 84)34356 36)17676 85)22100 74)62900 95)80845 26)18278 98)71638 37)17797 53)16271 29)13920 74)27454 64)16640 93)24273 62)31558 59)34869 220 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK APPENDIX 3 Tests Used in Measuring Advancement of Pupils The Kansas Silent Reading Test For Grades 3, 4 and 5 City State Date Pupil's name Age Grade. . . . School Teacher Directions for Giving Tests After telling the children not to open the papers, ask the children on the front seats to distribute the papers, placing one upon the desk of each pupil in the class. Have each child fill in the blank space at the top of this page. Then make clear the following: Instructions to he read by teacher and pupils together This little five-minute test is given to see how quickly and accurately pupils can read silently. To show what sort of game it is, let us read this: Below are given the names of four animals. Draw a line around the name of each animal that is useful on the farm : cow tiger rat wolf This exercise tells us to draw a line around the word, cow. No other answer is right. Even if a line is drawn under the woVd cow, the exercise is wrong, and counts nothing. The game consists of a lot of just such exercises, so it is wise to study each exercise carefully enough to be sure that you know exactly what you are asked to do. The number of exercises which you can finish thus in five minutes will make your score, so do them as fast as you can, being sure to do them right. Stop at once when time is called. Do not open the papers until told, so that all may begin at the same time. The teacher should then be sure that each pupil has a good pencil or pen. Note the minute and second by the watch, and say, BEGIN. Allow exactly five minutes Answer no questions of the pupils which arise from not understanding what to do with any given exercise. When time is up say STOP and then collect the papers at once. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 221 No. I I have red, green and yellow papers in my hand. If I place the red and green papers on the chair, which color do I still have in Value, 1.2 my hand? Value, 1.2 No. 2 Think of the thickness of the peelings of apples and oranges. Put a line around the name of the fruit having the thinner peeHng. apples oranges No. 3 Three words are given below. One of them has been left out of this sentence: I cannot the girl who has the flag. Draw Value, 1 .4 a line around the word which is needed in the above sentence. red Value, 1.4 No. 4 There are seven boys and twelve girls in a room, more boys than girls, write boys on the line below, than boys, write girls on the line below. If there are If more girls Value, 1.6 No. 5 If you would rather have a dollar than a little stone, do not put a line under dollar, but if you would rather have five dollars than a pencil, put a line under stone. dollar stone No. 6 The first letter in the alphabet is " a." Below are some words containing the letter " a." Draw a line under the one in which Value, 1.7 the first letter of the alphabet is found the greatest number of times. hat easy baby age alas manfully Value, 1.8 No. 7 A child wrote these letters on the blackboard, b y a k. He then rubbed out one letter and put c in its place. He then had b y c k on the blackboard. What was the letter which he erased? 222 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK No. 8 Count the letters in each of the words written below. You will find that pumpkin has seven letters, and thanks has six letters. Value, 1.9 One of the words has five letters in it. If you can find the one having five letters, draw a line around it. breeze thanks yours pumpkin duck No. 9 Here are some names of things. Put a line around the name Value, 2.0 of the one which is most nearly round in every way like a ball. saucer teacup orange pear arm No. 10 A recipe calls for milk, sugar, cornstarch and eggs. I have Value, 2.1 milk, sugar and eggs. What must I get before I can use the recipe? No. II We planted three trees in a row. The first one was nine feet tall and the last one was three feet shorter than the first one. The Value, 2.2 middle one was two feet taller than the last one. How tall was the middle one? No. 12 Below are three lines. If the middle Une is the longest, put a cross after the last line. If the last line is the longest, put a cross Value, 2.2 after the first line. If the first line is the longest, put a circle in front of the middle line. No. 13 Three men have to walk to a town ten miles away. Each man carries a load. The first carries 25 pounds, the second 30 pounds, Value, 3.1 and the third 40 pounds. The heavier the load the slower the man travels. In order that they may arrive in town at the same time, which man must start first? No. 14 My house faces the street. If a boy passes my house going Value, 3.5 to school in the morning, walking toward the rising sun, with my house on his right hand, which direction does my house face? REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 223 No. 15 Fred has eight marbles. Mary said to him: " If you will give me four of your marbles, I will have three times as many as you Value, 4.8 will then have." How many marbles do they both have together? Value, 8.9 No. 16 If in the following words e comes right after a more times than e comes just after i, then put a Hne under each word containing an e and an i, but if e comes just before a more often than right after i, then put a hne imder each word containing an a and an e. receive feather teacher beUeve 224 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK The Kansas Silent Reading Test For Grades 6, 7 and 8 City State Date , Pupil's name Age Grade. School Teacher Directions for Giving the Tests After telling the children not to open the papers, ask the children on the front seats to distribute the papers, placing one upon the desk of each pupil in the class. Have each child fill in the blank space at the top of this page. Then make clear the following: Instructions to he read by teacher and pupils together This brief test is given to see how quickly and accurately pupils can read silently. To show what sort of test it is, let us read this: Below are given the names of four animals. Draw a line around the name of each animal that is useful on the farm : cow tiger rat wolf This exercise tells us to draw a line around the word, cow. No other answer is right. Even if a line is drawn under the word cow, the exercise is wrong, and counts nothing. The game consists of a lot of just such exercises, so it is wise to study each exercise carefully enough to be sure that you know exactly what you are asked to do. The number of exercises which you can finish thus in five minutes will make your score, so do them as fast as you can, being sure to do them right. Stop at once when time is called. Do not open the papers until told, so that all may begin at the same time. The teacher should then be sure that each pupil has a good pencil or pen. Note the minute and second by the watch, and say, BEGIN. Allow Exactly Five Minutes Answer no questions of the pupils which arise from not understanding what to do with any given exercise. When time is up say STOP and then collect the papers at once. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 225 Value, i.o No. I The air near the ceiling of a room is warm, while that on the floor is cold. Two boys are in the room, James on the floor and Harry on a box eight feet high. Which boy has the warmer place? Value, 1.3 No. 2 If gray is darker than white and black is darker than gray, what color of those named in this sentence is lighter than gray? Value, 1.6 No. 3 We can see through glass, so we call it transparent. We cannot see through iron, so we call it opaque. Is black ink opaque, or is it transparent? No. 4 My shepherd dog can run faster than any of my father's large herd of cattle, but he will not chase a rabbit because he learned Value, 2.0 long ago that a rabbit could easily outrun him. If my dog is no slower than other shepherd dogs, draw a line under the fastest runner of the three animals named below. rabbit shepherd dog cow Value, 2.2 No. 5 If you find a word in this sentence which may be used to denote color, draw a line under it, but if you do not find such a word, draw a line under the first word of the sentence. Va'ue, 2.3 No. 6 In going to school, James has to pass John's house, but does not pass Frank's. If Harry goes to school with James, whose house will Harry pass, John's or Frank's? Value, 2.4 No. 7 A boy goes to school in the morning, goes home at noon for lunch, returns to school at i o'clock and returns home at 4 o'clock. How many times does he travel between home and school that day? 226 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK No. 8 Here are two squares. Draw a line from the upper left-hand Value, 2.6 corner of the small square to the lower right-hand comer of the large square. No. 9 A farmer puts one-half the hay from his field into the first stack, Value, 3.0 then two-thirds of what is left into a second stack, and the remain- der in a third stack. Which stack is the largest? Value, 3.9 No. 10 Below are two squares and a circle. If the circle is the largest of the three, put a cross in it. If one square is smaller than the circle, put a cross in the large square. If both squares are smaller than the circle, put a cross in the small square. O D Value, 4.0 No. II " The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. The lowing herds wind slowly o'er the lea. The ploughman homeward plods his weary way. And leaves the world to darkness and to me." — (Gray). Study the above quotation carefully. The author lets us know his feeling about the coming of night. If you think his feeling is one of fear and dread, underscore curfew. If his feeling is one of peace and gladness, underscore ploughman. No. 12 Read these carefully: Bears are larger than bugs. Houses are larger than bears. Value, 4.0 Mountains are larger than houses. Then bugs are not as large as mountains. I have tried to make no false statement among these four. If I have succeeded, underline the word success. If I have failed, underline the word failure. success failure No. 13 If a man takes an hour to walk around a square, each side of Value, 4.3 which is a mile in length, how long will it take him to walk eight miles? REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 227 Value, 4.9 Value, 5.8 No. 14 A list of words is given below. One of them is needed to com- plete the thought in the following sentence: The roads became muddy when the snow — . , r • t. Do not put the missing word in the blank space left in the sentence, but put a cross below the word in the list which is next above the word needed in the sentence. " water is melted snow No. 15 I am writing this paragraph to test your ability to read what I compose. Underscore any word in the paragraph which has the same number of letters as the third word from the beginnmg of the paragraph, but which has none of the same letters. No. 16 My mother's birthday and mine are on the same day. We always have a round birthday cake together. We put as many Value 10 2 candles in a row around the cake as my mother is years old, but not all the candles are white ones. We use as many red ones as I am years old. This year we used ten red ones. We found that between each two red ones we had to place two white ones. How old is my mother? 228 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Nassau County Supplement to the Hillegas Scale for Measuring the Quality of English Compositions Directions for measuring: Compare the quality of your composition with quality of the samples on the scales. Assign to your composition the numerical value of that evaluated sample which most neariy equals it in merit. WHAT I SHOULD LIKE TO DO NEXT SATURDAY . I went going on to the Dox Saturdaye dnd day we the boys and I well going home and I well going the boys, and I will going these read in and they to night, and we or night. I well going a ground shalt and I gone out I will going to shea shouse and I will shoe or the skill of the . 004 shea of night. 1 intend to mak a snou man and make an fort and fort snou ball at 1 . chidem and hau I whist ma frant carolyn cole what were me I will going to the mauiss on Saturday. Georga will come went me. at night I will going out went my mother to the marce. I will mak the snou man and the fort in the moning and in the after- moon I will go to the mauies. 1 . 06 I whist there whest school on Saturday 2 . one next S aturday I expect to go to the city leve next G aturday to see my ofriend archie king I am going to grow to the baning balys circus with hime next S aturday fefore I go I have to do my jobs feedsing the cows ard horse ard chinkens and geese next Saturday My friend is a very good fellow to go and see So my mother S aid " If I do my work during Easter week vacation I can go to the baming baley 1 . 93 circus with, hime Once a pon a time there was a girl. One day she asked me what I 3.0 was going to do next Saturday so I said, " I am going to go for a swim." And she said, " thats just where I am going to." next Saterday came we both went down together. We came home at noon time, after dinner we went to the 2.81 picktures. There we had a good time. And then came home at night. I would like to go out in the after noon and play catching the ball. 4.0 Go over to Bertha's house and have a few girls to come with me and be on each others side. I have a tennis ball too play with. The game is that one person should stand quite aways from another person and throw the ball too one then another. Someone has to be in the middle and try too get the ball a way from someone then she takes this persons place 3 . 84 who she caught the ball from. Then till every person has a chance. Next Saturday I should like to go away and have a good time on a farm. S.O I should Uke to watch the men plowing the fields and planting com, wheat, and oats and other things planted on farms. Next Saturday I will go to the Pioneer meeting if nothing happens so that I cannot go. I should like to go swimming but it is not warm enough and I would catch a bad cold. I should like to go to my; aunts and drive the horses, I do not drive without some older person with me, so I caimot go very often. I should hke to see my aunts cat and her kittens, too. I think I 4.97 can, to. REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 229 I should like to join my girl friends, who are going to the city on the 6.0 9-05 A. M. train. They are going shopping in the mommg and will have lunch to-gether, then they are going to the Hippodrome. After the Hippodrome, they are all going home to dinner to one of the girls houses, she lives on Riverside Drive so they expect to take the " Fifth Avenue Bus " up there. The evening will be devoted to playing games, 6.01 singing and dancing. If I had a thousand dollars to spend, I think I would take a trip to San 7.0 Francisco by train with the rest of the family, and stop at a sea-side hotel. It would be glorious to see the surf again, and to escape from the cold blustering weather of December for the balmy breezes of the ocean, and the whiff of orange blossoms. We could take long drives under shady trees, visit the orange and olive groves and bathe in the surf. Think of bathing in the ocean in December! Coming home again I should enjoy stopping at Yellow Stone Park. It would be lots of fun to camp out, and to ride over the prairies on frisky ponies. It would be very interesting to notice the change^ of climate as we got farther east, and to go to bed on the train one evening feeling warm, and waking up the next morning feeling very chilly. I am afraid by the time I would get home a thousand dollars would 7 . 22 be pretty well used up ; but if not I would like to give a party. One Sunday, towards the end of my summer vacation, I was in bathing 8.0 at the Parkway Baths. In the Brighton Beach Motordrome, a few rods away, an aviation meet was going on. Several times one of the droning machines had gone whirring by over our heads, so that when the buzzing exhaust of a flier was heard it did not cause very much comment. Soon, however, the white planes of "Tom" Sop with's Wright machine were seen glimmering above the grandstand. Everyone stood spellbound as he circled the track several times and then headed out to sea. He was seen to have a passenger with him. Suddenly, the regular hum_ of his motor was broken by severe pops, and the engine ran slower, missing fire badly. In response, to Sopwith's movements, the big flier tilted and swooped down to the beach from aloft like an eagle. The terrified crowd made a rush to get out of the way as the airship came on, but Sop with could not land on the beach, but skimmed along close to the water instead. Suddenly his wing caught the water, and the big machine summersaulted and sank beneath the waves. The aviators soon came bobbing up and were taken away in a launch, but the accident will not 8 . 00 soon be forgotten by those who saw it. The courage of the panting fugitive was not gone; she was game to 9.0 the tip of her high-bred ears; but the fearful pace at which she had just been going told on her. Her legs trembled, and her heart beat like a triphammer. She slowed her speed perforce, but still fled industriously up the right bank of the stream. When she had gone a couple of miles and the dogs were evidently gaining again, she crossed the broad, deep brook, climbed the steep left bank, and fled on in the direction of the Mt. Marcy trail. The fording of the river threw the hounds off for a time; she knew by their uncertain yelping, up and down the opposite bank, that she had a Httle respite; she used it, however, to push on until the baying was faint in her ears, and then she dropped exhausted upon the grotmd. 230 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Note. — The first seven of the above compositions, values o to 6.0, were written during the month of April 19 16, by children in the elementary grades of the schools in Nassau county, New York. The last three compositions, values 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0, were selected from compositions which have previously been published by Professor E. L. Thomdike.^ The value assigned to "The Hunted Deer" (9.0) is that given it in the Thomdike Extension of the Hillegas Scale. ^ The value assigned to each of the other com- positions, values o to 8.0, is in each case the median rating of 139 judges who employed as the basis of their ratings the Hillegas Scale for EngUsh Composition by Young People.^ The unit of quality is the median deviation from the median judgment of the group of 202 judges used by Dr Hillegas in securing the final values of the com- positions appearing on the Hillegas Scale. In less technical terms, the unit of quality is such a difference in quality as was recognized by exactly 75 per cent of the original judges and not recognized by the other 25 per cent. For general purposes the bold face values are accurate enough although more exact values are given in small type. 1 English Composition — 150 Specimens Arranged for Use in Psychological and Educational Experiments by Edward L. Thomdike. 6s cents. 2 Thomdike Extension of the Hillegas Scale for Measuring the Quality of English Composition. 8 cents. ' Scale for the Measurement of Quality in English Composition by Young People, by Milo B. Hillegas. Scale and monograph, 30 cents. Scale 3 cents. Published by Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, New York City. INDEX Administration, 21-41 Advanced school, 48, 49, 50, 51 Age and progress records, 14, 211- 14 Albany Street school, 44, 47, 49, 50, 51; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63 Ancient languages in the high school, 126-27 Arithmetic, in elementary schools, 111-14; tests in, 152-64 Audit of books, 34-35 Automo^bile, for official use of su- perintendent of schools, 15 Blackboards and bulletin boards, 68 Bleecker street school, 43, 44, 48, 49, SO, 51; scoring, 54, 56; play- grounds, 57, 58; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63 ; shower baths, 67 Board of education, 10, 21-32; pow- ers, 21 ; meetings, 22, 26 ; com- mittees, 22 ; clerk or secretary, 22 ; rules and regulations, 23 ; tenure of office of members, 25; study of minutes, 25; question of printing proceedings, 25 ; committees bur- dened with administrative detail, 27; meetings congested with mat- ters of petty administrative rou- tine, 28; its own purchasing agent, 28; grants leaves of absence, 30; no consideration given to large educational problems, 31 ; func- tions of clerk, 32 ; audit of books, 34-35; educational administration, 38; summary, 40-41 Bowls and baths, 67 Brandegee school, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57, 58; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63; toilet room, 66; shower baths, 6y; care of build- ings, 69 Budget, 21, 33 Buildings, scoring of, 11, 51-69; al- terations and repair, 29; supervi- sion of, 35-37; distribution of school buildings with relation to population, 42-48; historical sum- mary, 4&-S1; table, 49; care of, 68; summary, 70^-71 Buildings, superintendent of, 22, 29, 34, .35 ; sale of materials, 34 Buildings and grounds, committee on, 37 Business affairs supervision, 32-34 Chemistry, 131 Classics in the high school, 126-27 Classrooms, equipment, 68 Cloakrooms, 67 Commercial subjects in the high school, 132-38 Composition, in the high school, 126; tests in, 165-68 Costs, see Finances Council, of supervisors, principals and heads of departments, 12 Course of study, in elementary schools, 13, 101-20; authorized by board, 39; summary, 118-20 Deerfield No. i, 47, 48, 49, 50 iJeertield, No. 2, 47, 49, 50 Desks, 67 Domestic science, see Home science Drawing, supervisor, 74; in elemen- tary schools, 1 17-18; in the high school, 138-39 Drinking water, 66 Educational supervision, 38r-4i Elementary schools, course of study, 13, 101-20; daily programs of study followed, 103-8; instruction in, 109-20 English, in elementary schools, no- il; in the high school, 124-26; tests in, 165-68 English compositions, scale for measuring quality, 228-30 Executive clerk, 33 Expenditures, comparative school costs, 179-204 Finances, 15, 21; supervision, 33; comparative school costs, 179-204 Fire protection, 67 Floor space and air space, 59-60 Francis Street school, 44, 46, 48, 49, 50 51; scoring, 54, 56; play- grounds, 57; ventilation, 62; ther- mometer readings, 63 French, 128 232 THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Geography in elementary schools, I 14-16 German, 128 Greek, 126 Gymnasium, for the high school needed, 12, 84-85 Handwriting, tests in, 174-78 Health education, 15, 76, 205-10 Heating, 61-66 High school, see Utica Free Acad- emy History, in elementary schools, 116- 17; in the high school, 129-31 Home science, little attention given to, 12, 75 ; lack of broad construc- tive program for work in, 85 Industrial arts, little attention given to, 12, 75-76; no courses given in high school, 14; lack of broad con- structive program for work in, 85 Intermediate high schools, 16 James Kemble school, 44, 46, 49, 50^ 51; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; lighting, 61; ventilation, ..62 ; thermometer readings, 63 ; fire pro- tection, 67 Junior high schools, 16 Kemble school, 44, 46, 49, SO, Si; scoring, 54, 56 ; playgrounds, 57 ; lighting, 61 ; ventilation, 62 ; ther- mometer readings, 62, ; fire protec- tion, 67 Kernan school, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50 ; scoring, 54, 56 ; playgrounds, 57 ; lighting, 61 ; thermometer read"- ings, 63 ; towels, 67 ; shower baths, 67 ; fire protection, 67 ; vacuum cleaners, 68 Kindergarten and primary grades, supervisor of, y^, Lansing Street school, 44, 46, 48, 49. so; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer reading, 63 ; no towels, 67 Latin, 126 Leaves of absence, granted by board of education, 30 Lighting, conditions aflfecting, 60 Mandeville school, 44, 46, 49, 50; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer read- ings, 63 Manual arts, little attention given to, 12, 75-76; lack of broad construc- tive program for work in, 85 Mary Street school, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51; scoring 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63 ; " shower 'baths, 67 Mathematics, 139 Medical inspection, 76, 205-10 Miller Street school, 44, 47, 49, 50, 51; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57 ; lighting, 61 ; ventilation, 62 ; thermometer readings, 63 Modern languages in the high school, 128-29 Music, supervisor, 74 Number 18 school, 44, 49, 50, si; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57, 58; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63 Number 19 school, 44, 49, 50; scor- ing, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ven- tilation, 62 ; thermometer readings, 63 ; lavatory, 67 ; no towels, 67 ; desks, 67 Number 20 school, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51 ; scoring,_ 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer read- ings, 63 ; desks, 67 Number 21 school, 44, 49, 50; scor- ing, .54. 56; playgrounds, 57; ven- tilation, 62 ; thermometer readings, 63 ; no towels, 67 Nurses, 205-10 Organization and administration, 21-41 Parent-teacher associations, 87 Penmanship, tests in, 174-78 Physical geography, 131 Physical training, handicapped through lack of gynasium, 12, 84; supervision, 74-75 Physics, "131 Playground activities, no supervi- sion, 12; municipal commission ap- pointed to organize, 57 ; appro- priation for, 57 Playgrounds, 55-59 • . , Potter school, 44, 49, 50; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57, 58; light- ing, 61 ; ventilation, 62 ; thermome- ter readings, 63 ; shower baths, 67 ; fire protection, 67; vacuum clean- ers, 68 Principals, 12; experience, 77; time given to classroom supervision, 78 ; clerical assistance, 78; methods of supervision, 79-83 Principals of grammar schools, scholastic and professional prepa- ration, 77 REPORT OF THE UTICA SCHOOL SYSTEM 233 Programs of study in, elementary schools, 103-8, 215 Progress records, 14, 211-14 Promotion, common standards as a basis of, 85 Prospect Street school, 44, 46, 49, 50; scoring, 56; ventilation, 62 Readin|^, in elementary schools, 10^ 10; silent reading in high school, 125; tests in silent reading, 171-74 Recreation or recess periods, no su- pervision, 12 Sales of materials, 34 School buildings, see Buildings School plant, 42-71 Science in the high school, 131-32 Scoring of school buildings, 11, 51- 69 Sewing, supervisor, 74 South Street school, 44, 45, 48, 49, so; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57, S8; ventilation, 62; thermom- eter readings, 63; toilet room, 66; lavatory, 67; care of buildings, 69 Spanish, 128 Spelling, tests in, 168-71 Study periods, 107 Superintendent of buildings, see Buildings, superintendent of Superintendent of schools, should be chief executive of the board, 11; povirers and duties, 23; executive supervision, 32; system of office records, 39; should be a secretary- ship to, 39 Supervised study, 107 Supervision, 72-89; no broad, con- structive program, 11; need of more definite program, 14; sum- mary, 87-89 Supervisors, special, 1 1 ; assistance to elementary staff, 13 Supplies, purchasing of, 29 Teachers, number, 12; substitute, 12, 90; standards, 13; salaries, 13, 96-99; probationary period, 13; appointments, 38; grade school. meetings, 85 ; professional reading, 86; training, 92-94; experience, 94-96; tenure of service, 94; sum- mary, 99-100; salary cost per pupil, tables, 201-3 Teaching staff, 90-100 Temperature readings, 63 Tests, achievement in fundamental subjects as measured by, 151-178, 216-27 Toilet accommodations, 63 Towels, 67 Union Street school, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50; scoring, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63 ; lavoratory, 67 ; desks, 67, 68 Utica, 17-20; character of popula- tion, 10, 17 Utica Free Academy, 14; building, 47, 49, 51, 69-70; scoring, 56; thermometer readings, 63 ; no equipment for industrial work, 76 ; lack of articulation between work in higher grades and first year of, 84; supervision of departments, 84; failure to provide gymnasium facilities, 84; work in physical training, 84; organization and courses of study, 121-50; reaction of student body to course of study, 139743; special activities, 143-44; pupils' aims beyond high school, 148-49 ; summary, 149-50 Vacuum cleaners, 68 Ventilation, 61-66 Vocational courses, none given in high school, 14 Vocational school, discontinued, 48, 76 Wetmore school, 44, 45, 46, 49^ 50, 51; scormg, 54, 56; playgrounds, 57; lighting, 61; ventilation, 62; thermometer readings, 63; shower baths, 67; vacuum cleaners, 68, care of building, 69 ^